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TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

035

043

REALITIES

IMPERATIVES AND QUALITY OF BUSINESS

047

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

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THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT


THE EQUITABLE CITY

DETROIT FUTURE CITY

A Day in the Life Fulfilling our Economic Potential


Darius lives in Northwest Detroit with his wife Barbara, a medical technician, and his two kids Bakari, 17, and Hope, 15. Its been a tough decade, but things are looking up. Not too long ago Darius was unemployed because of cutbacks at the auto factory hed worked at since high school. The only job Barbara could find was in the suburbs, and her daily commute began at 4:30 a.m. by bus so Darius could have the car. Howd they recover? In 2012, the city government and its business partners began focusing on four key areas of job growth, including 21st century industrial work. Through a new training partnership between a local university and a foundation, Darius touched up his advancedtechnology skills and landed a job within 60 days of receiving his certificate. Jobs in the city were picking up rapidly, since the city had focused its business development in seven strategic employment districts. Businesses locating in these districts attracted others in similar fields, and all of them were hiring. Barbara soon got a job, too, at a new clinic in the Eds and Meds district in the McNichols corridor. She takes one of the citys rapid bus lines to work now, getting there in about 20 minutes. Bakari and Hope take the rapid bus to school, too, and they even take the bus to afterschool activities at the library (SAT practice for Bakari, digital photography for Hope). With everyones commute time cut, dinner begins at 6 p.m. sharp: Just in time for a family report on everyones day.

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS
Unlike many of the countrys struggling cities, Detroit is challenged not with the creation of a new set of economic assets but with a geographic and strategic alignment of existing assets. While it is true that the citys original land patterns cannot efficiently serve its current residents, the real challenge is this: Detroit is

ECONOMIC GROWTH

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not too big, its economy is too small.


The challenge of growing Detroits economy comes with an important imperative: the need to enhance equity by creating job opportunities for Detroiters of all backgrounds and skill levels. This is not only a desirable outputthe right thing to do for peoplebut a key input for the citys sustainable economic futurethe smart thing to do for business. The good news is that Detroits economy is changing, and its economic base is diverse, if modest. Four pillars of employment now account for well over half of Detroits employment base: education and medical employment (Eds and Meds), digital and creative jobs, industrial employment (both traditional and new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture and processes), and local entrepreneurship. All of these are promising areas of employment, and local entrepreneurship in particular is the sleeping giant that could change the economic landscape of Detroit, especially in the areas of business-to-business services (B2B), food processing, and construction/demolition/engineering/ repurposing (CDER). Physical corridors of strength and investment have emerged within the citys checkerboard development patterns. The Strategic Framework proposes an economic strategy that builds on existing trends and unique characteristics in seven employment districts in the city of Detroit, which will serve as strategic areas for investment and new growth, attracting residents and companies to exchange interests, ideas, and innovations. These seven primary employment

the very problem that has plagued the city: its miles of vacant and underused spaces. Two emerging industries for Detroit are most promising in this context: food production (taking advantage of Detroits resident urban farming movement, the ingenuity of its people, and a growing nationwide interest in locally sourced food); and CDER (construction/demolition/engineering/repurposing, which builds on Detroits industrial skills base and makes a virtue of the very necessity to change the landscape). Both of these emerging industries, coupled with Detroits existing strength in TDL (transportation, distribution, and logistics), will likely provide thousands of new jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Detroiters of all backgrounds and skill levels. Every joband every residentis important to Detroits future. For the citys

economic alignment to yield its full potential, economic growth in Detroit must be fair and must benefit all of the citys residents. This plan recognizes
equitable growth not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes good business sense: By increasing Detroiters access to employment and entrepreneurship, the city will grow its base of workers and business owners, while increasing incentives for and investment in further education and training. As Detroit strengthens the key actors and assets within the city, it will also be able to tighten the linkages between the city and regional economies, maintaining its position as a global trade center. The vision of the Strategic Framework is a strong, equitable urban economy that anchors the revitalization of the larger metropolitan economy. The Framework is also designed to be adaptable to the conditions in the regional, national, and international economies. The intent was to provide a framework for action that is flexible and dynamic, yet establishes a strong structure to support both growth and equal opportunities.

districts account for about half of the citys total employment but take up less than 15% of the citys land. Detroits physical transformation is intended to
create additional job opportunities and tap the incredible potential inherent in

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

COMPARATIVE CITY EMPLOYMENT RATIOS

ECONOMIC PILLARS

GLOBAL TRADE / INDUSTRIAL

DIGITAL / CREATIVE

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

EDUCATION & MEDICAL

DETROIT
27 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 714,000 SIZE: 139 SQ. MILES JOBS: 193,000
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DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

35 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS

POPULATION: 1,526,000 SIZE: 134 SQ. MILES JOBS: 535,000

A CITY OF ROBUST JOB GROWTH

A CITY OF EQUITABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH

ATLANTA
73 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 420,000 SIZE: 133 SQ. MILES JOBS: 307,000

DESPITE SIX DECADES OF POPULATION LOSS, DETROITS FUTURE WILL BE DRIVEN BY ITS ABILITY TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT IN THE CITY.
Most discussions about Detroits future to date have focused on land area and population. Yet if we compare Detroit with similar-sized cities, the number of jobs per resident is far more telling than the number of residents itself. Of the four cities closest in size to Detroit, only one has more residents, but all four have many more jobs and a higher ratio of jobs to residents. In fact, this is true for most American cities: only 5 of the top 100 cities have fewer jobs per resident than Detroit. It is true that Detroits dramatic loss of population will call for reconfiguration and repositioning of its infrastructure and land assets to create a new city form of diverse neighborhood types and land uses that are easier to serve, The key to fiscal sustainability and a better quality of life for Detroit is not simply higher population, although population increases would be welcome. Increasing the ratio of jobs

DETROITS ECONOMIC GROWTH MUST BE BASED ON FAIRNESS AND EQUITY.


Detroits diversifying economy should be developed toward job growth for a variety of skill demands and business types. This approach will not only enhance equity, but will also foster growth by tapping under-utilized human capital, increasing local incomes and consumer demand, improving educational outcomes, and reducing fiscal, social, and human costs associated with poverty.1 More than half of Detroits current employment base comes from four economic pillars that are well suited to creating jobs for people of all skills and backgrounds: education and medical employment (Eds and Meds); digital and creative jobs; industrial employment (both traditional and new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture and processes); and local entrepreneurship. Within each of these key employment pillars, job opportunities and professional growth should be cultivated for people with a variety of educational backgrounds, skills, and interests. For example, in Eds and Meds, the innovative capacity of all workers from medical staff, faculty, and researchers to maintenance, kitchen, and housekeeping staffshould be utilized and rewarded. In the small-scale industrial sector, and especially in the food sector, shared production spaces can offer low-cost options for local entrepreneurs and more broad-based ownership or sharing of business assets. Shared creative space is certainly vital to the information exchange and resource sharing necessary in the creative/digital fields, and can open up opportunities for training and career development, especially among youth and among adults seeking to start a second career. A crucial step toward equitable job growth will also be the explicit recognition and dismantling of current barriers facing Detroit residents in terms of access to skills development and employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. In fact, those very barriers have forced many Detroiters into the informal economy as entrepreneurs, which in turn offers an opportunity to create new pathways to prosperity and job growth for an unknown number of sole proprietors who might one day be employers themselves. This is discussed in further detail in the Strategies section of this chapter.

PORTLAND
55 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION: 584,000 SIZE: 133 SQ. MILES JOBS: 321,000

to residents will contribute to the financial stability of the city while creating economic opportunity for the citys residents.

DENVER
60 JOBS PER 100 RESIDENTS POPULATION 600,000 SIZE: 153 SQ. MILES JOBS: 360,000
Text Sources: 1) Pastor, Manuel, and Chris Benner. Been Down So Long: Weak-Market Cities and Regional Equity. In Richard M. McGahey and Jennifer S. Vey, eds., Retooling for Growth. New York: American Assembly and Columbia University, 2008; Katherine S. Newman, James B. Knapp Dean of the Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Hearing on Drivers of Intergenerational Mobility and the Tax Code, July 10, 2012; Robert Weissbourd. Strengthening Communities for Regional Prosperity. The Living Cities Policy Series, 2006; Porter, Michael, Orson W. Watson, and Alvin Kwan. The Changing Models of Inner City Grocery Retailing. Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, 1998.

While the population in the city has declined over the past 60 years the number of jobs located in the city has fallen at a sharper rate. This has left the city with relatively few jobs for the number of people who reside here. Of the top 100 Cities only 5 have fewer jobs per resident. Data Sources: 2010 LEHD On the Map; 2010 SF1 Census; ICIC Analysis

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

ECONOMIC GROWTH TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

Half of Detroits employment base can be found in these four economic pillars. These sectors present the opportunity to provided equitable employment growth for Detroiters of all skill levels.

PHILADELPHIA

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

LOCATION QUOTIENT RANKING AMONG 100 LARGEST CITIES


Detroits economy is already unique. Compared to other cities, Detroits diverse economic base has an established foothold in traditional industrial activity and anchor institutions as well as substantial growth in new economy jobs.

NEW ECONOMY GROWTH 1998-2009 EDS & MEDS, 2009


38

35 9 17 DETROIT, MI

80 3 36 CLEVELAND, OH

74 62 1 NEWARK, NJ

68 21 48 ST LOUIS, MO

43 4 99 BOSTON, MA

42 60 80 CHICAGO, IL
THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY 39

INDUSTRIAL, 2006
Data Source: SICE; ICIC analysis

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

1.

2.

GRA

ND

RIV

ER
TELEGRAPH

WCCCD SINAI GRACE HOSPITAL

NORTHWEST ACTIVITIES CENTER

GRA

TIO

8 MILE

A CITY OF PHYSICALLY AND STRATEGICALLY ALIGNED ECONOMIC ASSETS

A LEADER IN URBAN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY

MARYGROVE COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT-MERCY

GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL CENTER

FOCUS: HOPE RUSSELL INDUSTRIAL CENTER HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM TECH TOWN WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY EASTERN MARKET CLARK TECHNOLOGY PARK

WO ODW ARD
I-94 INDUSTRIAL PARK GM ASSEMBLY PLANT CULTURAL CENTER DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER

COLEMAN A. YOUNG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

DETROITS ECONOMY DOES NOT REQUIRE ENTIRELY NEW ECONOMIC ASSETS, BUT THE PHYSICAL AND STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OF EXISTING ONES. As in all successful cities, fostering economic strength and stability in Detroit
will require a constant renewal and realignment of key business assets, education and workforce development, innovation potential, and infrastructure.

WCCCD CHRYSLER: JEFFERSON NORTH ASSEMBLY PLANT

E. JE

FFER

SON

WESTFIELD INDUSTRIAL CENTER

On the side of land use and physical assets, tools such as zoning, public land disposition, incentives, and specific strategies can be used to promote concentrated employment districts as focal points around which to pool public, private, and philanthropic investment. The implications will be far-reaching and have the potential to improve the cost structure, innovative capacity, and competitive position of the citys businesses in regional, national, and international markets. Important efforts to create districts of economic activity already exist, most notably in the food cluster around Eastern Market and the education and health-related clusters in Midtown. Existing efforts must be supported and expanded to include Detroits most important traditional and emerging economic strengths. Organizational linkages must also be strengthened and sustained among city government and neighborhoods, business support organizations, employers and employees, and businesses and their suppliers. Although too many key companies and organizations today are islands, physically, they have a strong interest in reknitting the physical, social, and cultural fabric that made Detroits economy great.

Across the country, many have come to realize the critical role of manufacturing activity in promoting and sustaining innovation, especially in clusters where product and process are tightly linked, such as high-end apparel and biotech.2 Detroit has a unique combination of educational and medical institutions, information technology companies, low-cost industrial land, and an industrial commons that support manufacturing and industrial activity of all kinds. Detroit also has a skilled workforce, managers with operations experience, and broad design and engineering expertise among its residents. With proactive and coordinated

investment, Detroit can remain an innovative hub for production.


In the food cluster, for example, Detroit has the assets and knowledge to lead in the design and production of urban farming tools. In the medical cluster, the Henry Ford Innovation Institute is focused on user-based innovation that translates insights from the citys medical practitioners into the next generation of surgical tools and medical devices. These are but two examples of the ways in which Detroit can build on its legacy of industrial activity, while creating new pathways to industrial and supporting jobs.

FORD
DETROIT INTERMODAL FREIGHT TERMINAL

WCCCD AMBASSADOR BRIDGE NEW INTERNATIONAL TRADE CROSSING DETROIT WATER AND SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITY SPRINGWELLS INDUSTRIAL PARK

GENERAL MOTORS HEADQUARTERS DOWNTOWN

MICH

IGAN

ASSETS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH


DIGITAL INDUSTRIES CREATIVE INDUSTRIES EDUCATION & MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS INDUSTRIAL ANCHORS AND HUBS PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


1 2 4 MILES

FERSO N

Detroit has a wide range of economic assets that should be capitalized on to fuel economic growth. Assets include existing businesses, institutions and transportation infrastructure.

W. JEF

Text Source: 2) Gary P. Pisano and Willy C. Shih, Does America Really Need Manufacturing? Harvard Business Review, March 2012. Image Sources: 1) Marvin Shaouni; 2) Paul Sancya/AP

TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS

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DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

5
Recently, the American automotive sector has revitalized, and the role of Southeast Michigan in global automotive research and development expanded. The automotive renaissance in the region is part of a larger story in which U.S. manufacturing has become more competitive globally. One of the countrys most influential consultancies, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), recently estimated that due to improved competitiveness, the U.S. is likely to add between 2.5 and 5 million jobs in manufacturing and support industries by 2020.3

A CITY OF REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ECONOMIC ASSETS

A CITY THAT SUPPORTS MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

A CITY OF IMMEDIATE AND LONG-RANGING STRATEGIES FOR RESIDENT PROSPERITY

DETROIT HAS A DIVERSE BASE OF BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Beginning more than a decade ago, many public,
private, and philanthropic leaders recognized that economic decline in the city and region was not temporary but reflected a broader crisis in local economic assets and capabilities. These leaders and their organizations invested in the ideas, assets, institutions, and culture to enable growth in innovation-driven clusters like education and technology, while also remaking traditional economic clusters like food to better serve local needs. Huge investments were made in expanding the citys institutions and economy: The College for Creative Studies added major new buildings, an MFA program, and a high school; the Detroit Creative Corridor Center opened; Next Energy was founded; the education and medical institutions in Midtown became national models for maximizing local economic impact; Henry Ford Hospital opened an Innovation Institute to capture and commercialize the innovative capacity of medical practitioners; Wayne State University opened TechTown and announced a $93 million biotech hub; and a local son returned to Detroit with 7,000 workers and triggered a new wave of information technology growth in Downtown. Concurrently, local leaders remade traditional industries, including the Detroit Food Policy Council and Detroit Black Community Food Securitys work in creating a vision for the national movement in food justice and food security issues. Local organizations such as New Economy Initiative and DEGC are working to promote local procurement and entrepreneurship opportunities across the city.

Business ownership shapes the location of opportunity and power in an economy: Business owners strongly influence organizational practices such as hiring, wage setting, and procurement and often serve in positions of civic and social leadership. One reason minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) are so important to Detroit is that they are more likely to hire minority employees and utilize minority suppliers, thus increasing opportunity for a large number of Detroiters.4 Minorities in Detroit already account for 89% of the citys population; however, the firms they own account for only 15% of private company revenues. AfricanAmerican-owned businesses account for 94% of the citys MBEs, yet few of these companies grow enough to hire even one employee: Only one in thirty AfricanAmerican companies in the city has at least one employee compared to one in three white-owned businesses. These numbers reflect the enormous challenges to the MBE community in Detroit (as well as its potential). In a comparison of 25 U.S. cities, Detroit ranked seventh in African-American self-employment per capita. Strengthening business

Although Detroit has an urgent need to support and develop high-quality education and skills to prosper in the 21st century, there is little evidence for the oft-stated claim that Detroit cant fix its economy until it fixes K-12. In fact, improving

education and increasing economic opportunity are complementary strategies: providing economic opportunities for Detroits adults will improve fiscal conditions in the city, support the academic performance of their children, and create the incentives for children and adults alike to invest in education and skills development.
The dramatic downturn in the regional economy has curtailed opportunities for lower-skilled workers across the region. This opportunity gap must be addressed alongside the skills gap. In fact, the lack of job opportunities seems to have profoundly weakened the link between educational attainment and prosperity for Detroiters. Nationwide, high school graduation reduces the chance of living in poverty by 56%, and going on to earn a two-year degree reduces poverty by an additional 51%. Yet in Detroit, the corresponding reductions are much smaller (39% and 33%). Strategies to combat the citys poverty must acknowledge the need for a dual approach. Public, private, and philanthropic priorities should support a concurrent approach to the creation of new job opportunities along with educational improvements.

ownership in the citys largest population group is one of the best ways to grow businesses in the city.

Text Sources: 3) Boston Consulting Group, Why Americas Export Surge Is Just Beginning, September 12, 2012 and U.S. Manufacturing Nears the Tipping Point: Which Industries, Why, and How Much?, March 22, 2012; 4) Based on Fairlie and Robb (2008) Image Sources: 3) PAC Jeff Hall, Wikimedia Commons; 4) www.modeldmedia.com; 5) CNS Photo/ Jim West

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

3.

4.

5.

42

61% 39%
61% of employed detroiters
work outside the city

21%
21.5% of Detroiters Do not have
access to a private vehicle2

39% of employeD Detroiters


work within the city
1

30% 70%
30% of detroit jobs are held
by detroiters

70% of Detroit jobs are helD


by commuters
3

THE STATE OF DETROITS ECONOMY


Detroit confronts major challenges to its revitalization, including issues with workforce preparedness and employment opportunities for Detroiters; the need to strengthen the performance of the citys companies, including small- and minorityowned companies; and the need to translate the citys available land and buildings into affordable, usable spaces that can accommodate growing companies and attract new ones to the city.

REALITIES

43

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION. Among working-age residents in Detroit, labor


force participation rates (LFPRs) are low relative to the rest of the region and the United States. In the rest of the region, the participation rate is 79%, nearly identical to the U.S. rate of 78%. If Detroit achieved national participation rates at each education level, about 38,000 additional Detroiters would be in the labor force and the citys overall participation rate would be 75%. The participation rate of Detroiters without a high school degree is low, but this group accounts for only a small portion of the adult population. The greatest opportunity for impact in labor force participation is among those with a high school degree and/or some college (but not a four-year degree), who account for two-thirds of working-age Detroiters. Consequently, if Detroiters without a high school degree participated in the labor force at national rates, the citys overall participation rate would increase from 65% to 68%; if Detroiters with a high school degree and/or some college matched national rates, the citys overall participation rate would increase from 65% to 72%, just below the regional average of 75%.

300K
300,000 new jobs
are projecteD for southeast michigan by 20404

POVERTY
Detroit is
projecteD to receive only 2% of these new regional jobs5

there are currently 27 jobs within the city per 100 Detroit resiDents6

Detroiters experience

high poverty rates at every level of eDucation. even 20% of two-year Degree holDers live in poverty7

68% of Detroiters without

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. As in many areas that have historically relied


on manufacturing to drive the economy, education levels among working-age Detroiters are well below the national average: 20% do not have a high school degree; 35% have a high school degree but no further training; 33% have a high school degree and at least some college; and

a high school Diploma are unemployeD or Do not participate in the labor force8

9%

2% OTHER

85%

3%

12% have a bachelors degree. The proportion of Detroits population between the ages of 25 and 64 who do not have a high school degree is 60% higher than the U.S. rate of 13%, while the proportion of population holding a four-year degree is 60% lower than the average for the United States. But education alone is not the only indicator of Detroits workforce challenge: There is a stronger emphasis on education among Detroiters than is often assumed. Of those with a high school degree, 57% have at least some college, comparable to the rest of the United States (68%). Completion rates are lower than the national average, however: Among Detroiters with at least some college, only 42% have completed a two- or four-year degree compared to 64% across the United States.

$12.2B
WHITE
12%

$450M
OTHER

SCHOOL QUALITY. One oft-cited reason for poor labor force outcomes among
Detroiters is the low quality of the citys public schools. Although Detroits school system has some high performers like Cass Technical High School, Renaissance High School, Kettering West Wing, and the Bates Academy, the majority of schools under-perform relative to those in neighboring school districts. The Michigan Department of Educations Top-to-Bottom Ranking of the states schools shows that in terms of statewide percentile ranking, schools in the Detroit Public Schools district averaged in the 12th percentile. Detroit school performance is also weak by the standards of urban school districts across the United States. In the most recent Trial Urban District Assessment of reading, mathematics, science, and writing skills of 4th and 8th graders in 22 cities, Detroit ranked last, but did show improvement over the previous assessment.

HI

TE

83% AFRICAN AMERICAN

$1.7B
AFRICAN AMERICAN

Detroits potential

workforce Demographics (ages 25-64)9

break Down of revenue


at all Detroit firms10

15% of Detroits

private employer firms are owneD by african americans11

Detroit is rankeD 23rD out of 25 u.s.

cities in african american ownership of firms with employees*

in a comparison of 25 u.s. cities, Detroit ranks 8th in terms of african-american business


ownership relative to the size of black/african-american population*

WEAKENED INCENTIVES AND CONNECTIONS. In all groups in all parts of the


country, labor force participation rates are sensitive to the costs and rewards of employment, including wages and commuting times. Detroiters of all education levels have wages that are lower than regional and national averages, with the largest gap for those workers without a high school degree and the smallest for the college-educated. This would help explain why labor force activity is so low among the citys least educated residents. Similarly, the challenges of using public transportation to commute to suburban job centers disproportionately harms less educated, lower-income individuals, who are less likely to own cars.

*The 25 cities used to rank detroit were picked based on variables including population size, minority concentration and geography. The 25 cities are: 1) Detroit, MI; 2) Birmingham, AL; 3) Baltimore, MD; 4) Memphis, TN; 5) New Orleans, LA; 6) Atlanta, GA; 7) Cleveland, OH; 8) Washington, D.C.; 9) St. Louis, MO; 10) Philadelphia, PA; 11)Charlotte, NC; 12) Chicago, IL; 13) Columbus, OH; 14) Indianapolis, IN; 15) New York, NY; 16) Boston, MA; 17) Houston, TX; 18) Miami, FL; 19) Fort Worth, TX; 20) Los Angeles, CA; 21) Austin, TX; 22) San Antonio, TX; 23) San Diego, CA; 24) Phoenix, AZ; 25) El Paso, TX Sources: US Census 2010, 2007 Survey of Business Owners

Data Sources: 1) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; 2) American Community Survey 2010 5-Year; 3) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; 4,5) SEMCOG 2012; 6) Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) State of Inner City Economies (SICE) database, US Census 2010; 7,8) American Community Survey 2010 5-Year, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS); 9) US Census 2010; 10) US Census 2010 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics; 11) ICIC

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

6% HIS PAN IC

REALITIES

PERCENT OF DETROIT WORKERS WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE OR LESS BY TARGET CLUSTER: 2009
12% 32% 19% 2% 7%
creative

PRIVATELY OWNED FIRMS WITH EMPLOYEES


45%

53% 23% 5%
healthcare

55%

49%

58%

57%

50%

2%
eDucation

14%
transportation Distribution logistics

15%

16%
construction, Demolition, engineering, repurposing

16%

17%

15%
business to business

13%
rest of the economy

information technology

metal fabrication

automotive

fooD anD beverage processing

of vacant industrial parcels are less than 1 acre in size


african american
$50,000 average revenue 1/6 of city average

digital/creative
44

eds & meds

industrial

The target clusters that represent the best opportunities for economic growth in Detroit also represent opportunities to employ individuals with different education and skill levels. The importance of education and skills training cant be understated as businesses hire significantly higher percentages of people with a high school degree than without. Data Source: BLS, Employment Projections Program; ICIC

entrepreneurship

local

other

white
$780,000 average revenue 2.6x of city average

other
$240,000 average revenue 4/5 of city average

Detroiters with less than a high school Degree Detroiters with less than or equal to a high school Degree

Minority groups account for 89% of Detroits population but only 17% of total private firm revenue. Data Source: SBO 2007; ICIC analysis

6.8%

45

6.8% of the citys vacant industrial land is publicly-owned


THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

Data Source: Interface Studio, Detroit Industrial Land Use Survey otherwise re-developable land in the industrial zones, for example, amounts to only 6.8% of the citys total industrial land supply, with most of this found in residential parcels in Delray and formerly residential sites around the I-94 Industrial Park. With so few opportunities to assemble property directly from public agencies, and limited resources to outright acquire private property, other strategies must be considered to stimulate more productive use of vacant and vastly underutilized, privately held, commercial and industrial sites. The depth and breadth of challenges stemming from the condition, location, and configuration of Detroits job-producing lands will have to be met with a variety of strategies to improve the quality, availability, and productivity of private and public commercial and industrial land.

REGIONAL COMPETITION. Between 2002 and 2010, the proportion of Detroit jobs
held by Detroit residents fell from 42% to 30%. Changing skill demands do not seem to be the main culprit: The share of city jobs held by Detroiters declined almost as much for jobs paying less than $1,250 per month as for jobs paying greater than $3,333 per month. What did change during those years was the regions unemployment rate. During the 2000s, the region lost more than 400,000 jobs, 100,000 more than any other U.S. region, suggesting that the regions jobs crisis has severely undercut opportunities for less educated workers. The least educated workers faced competition for jobs from better-educated jobseekers: in the city but also across the region, those without high school degrees participate in the labor force at rates well below the national average. The gap between regional and national labor force participation narrows with increasing education levels until it more or less disappears for the regions residents who hold at least a bachelors degree.

MINORITY BUSINESS OWNERSHIP HOLDS GREAT POTENTIAL. Although it


is true that a large number of Detroiters have dropped out of the labor force, it is also true that many Detroiters have responded to the shortage of formal job opportunities by starting businesses, becoming self-employed, or moving into the informal economy. African-Americans in Detroit are 15% more likely than their counterparts nationally to be formally self-employed. Overall, there are about 50,000 people who are formally self-employed or own businesses with employees in Detroit, and perhaps as many as 100,000 more who are engaged in the informal economy, either as their only source of income or in addition to formal and/or selfemployment.5 Minority residents are strongly represented in nonemployer firms, which generally represent formally self-employed persons. These businesses pay taxes and are part of the formal economy but do not have the scale to hire employees. In Detroit, there are about 60 self-employed firms per 1,000 residents: 74% are owned by an African-American, 25% have white ownership, and 1% is owned by a member of another group. African-American-owned self-employed businesses average about $14,000 in sales, compared to $32,000 for white-owned self-employed businesses in Detroit. Among private businesses with employees,15% are owned by AfricanAmericans, 78% have white ownership, and the remaining 7% fall under primarily Asian ownership. White-owned businesses with employees average $2.4 million in revenues, African-American-owned businesses average $1.3 million in revenue, and businesses with other (primarily Asian) ownership average $600,000. When businesses with and without employees are included, the average revenue of all private businesses in Detroit is about $300,000; within this, the average for white-owned businesses is $780,000, for Asian businesses, $240,000, and for African-American-owned businesses about $50,000. The gap between white- and black-owned businesses in Detroit can largely be explained by the set of industries in which Detroits MBEs operate. MBEs across the United States tend to select less capital-intensive industries, and thus face lower overhead but also lower overall growth prospects than white-owned businesses.

The selected industries are often oriented toward local rather than regional, national, or international markets; they also have higher failure rates.6 MBEs often select these industries because of their own work and business experience, but also because of lower levels of personal wealth than their white counterparts. MBEs also are more likely than their white counterparts to experience real and perceived challenges in securing external capital.7 Increasing the number and performance of MBEs must address short-term strategies to increase demand for the goods and services provided by MBEs, and provide assistance with business development and finance options. Longer-term strategies must increase minority participation in high-growth, capital-intensive sectors and address structural barriers to capital access.

LAND IS DETROITS GREATESTAND MOST CHALLENGINGASSET. Land in


Detroit is a potential asset for long-term economic development. Unlike in many U.S. cities, Detroit does not currently suffer from residential encroachment on jobproducing land or face supply limitations that preclude growth in industrial sectors. However, the character, configuration, and spatial patterns of vacancy and neglect on formerly job-producing land represent a significant challenge to economic development in the city. In 2010, vacancies accounted for 22% of Detroits industrial land, a portion that has likely increased with the further decline in manufacturing activity. Many of these sites are located along industrial corridors that have ceased to be competitive and now sit derelict and empty, contributing to and aggravating surrounding neighborhood blight. Of the sites that are located in more active and vibrant industrial areas corridors with a critical mass of industrial activitya significant portion consists of small, isolated, inaccessible, or oddly-shaped parcels with very limited potential for viable industrial or commercial redevelopment. More than 95% of the vacant industrial parcels in the citys employment districts are less than one acre in size. The remaining parcels that are well-located and large enough to accommodate viable modern industrial development are often so blighted, contaminated, or in need of demolition that the anticipated costs can deter investment indefinitely. The major challenge in addressing issues of blight and land assembly in the industrial areas is the patterns of ownership. Unlike in the citys residential areas, where there is significant public ownership of sites, the overwhelming majority of land in the industrial and commercial areas is privately held. Public ownership of vacant or

INEQUITY EVEN WITH EDUCATION. For all the discussion about the importance
of education in addressing the citys poverty, the disconnect between educational attainment and prosperity is profound for many Detroiters. At all education levels, Detroiters suffer much higher poverty rates than peers in the region and country: 31% of Detroiters with a high school degree and no college live in poverty, compared to 13% of identically educated Americans; A Detroiter with a two-year college degree is 50% more likely to live in poverty than the average American with only a high school degree; and A Detroiter with a four-year college degree is more likely to live in poverty than the average American with a two-year degree. In fact, if every working-age Detroiter invested in a two-year degree, the poverty rate in this group would still be almost 21%, higher than overall poverty rates in 70% of U.S. cities.

Text Sources: 5) By definition, the informal economy is very difficult to measure. One study estimates that in Los Angeles County, 9% to 29% of total employment is in the informal economy (Losby, et al., 2002). Using this range, the number of people employed in the informal economy in Detroit would be about 25,000 to 105,000. The estimated range is as wide as 3% to 4% of the U.S. workforce (Nightingale and Wandner, 2011). Lower-income areas tend to have higher levels of informal activity, so Detroit would likely be on the higher end of any estimate. SOURCES: Losby, Jan L., John F. Else, Marcia E. Kingslow, Elaine L. Edgcomb, Erica T. Malm, and Vivian Kao, Informal Economy Literature Review, ISED Consulting and Research and The Aspen Institute, December 2002; Nightingale, Demetria Smith, and Stephen A. Wandner, Informal and Nonstandard Employment in the United States: Implications for Low-Income Working Families, The Urban Institute, Brief 20, August 2011. 6,7) Timothy Bates, Entrepreneur Human Capital Endowments and Minority Business Viability, 1985; Fairlie and Robb, 2008, p 134. Teresa Lynch and Lois Rho, Capital Availability in Inner Cities: What Role for Federal Policy? Presented at the Small Business and Entrepreneurship during an Economic Recovery Conference, Washington, D.C., November 9-10, 2011.

ECONOMIC GROWTH ACTIONS AND IMPACT

IMPERATIVES AND QUALITY OF BUSINESS


WHAT WE LEARNED FROM CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK
Survey respondents ranked the RE-ENERGIZE DETROIT'S ECONOMY as the most important of the 12 Imperatives Survey respondents ranked EDUCATION as the most important investment for Detroits future Top economic strategies recorded from DWP participants included: SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES - especially small, new, and resident-owned businesses IMPROVE RESIDENTS WORKFORCE READINESS for better, well-paying jobs in the future

47

We must re-energize Detroits economy to increase job opportunities for Detroiters within the city and strengthen the tax base. We must support our current residents and attract new residents.

Detroit has been losing population and employment for decades, and years of fiscal challenges have hollowed out local government capacity. Detroit today provides a challenging business environment marred by high levels of blight, security issues, and significant gaps in local government services. Potential buyers driving to inspect available industrial sites are often deterred by the visible levels of blight before they have even arrived at the property. These factors often frustrate existing business owners and employees, increase costs, and deter investment. Businesses, like residents, desire a secure, attractive environment and a larger, vibrant business community. For Detroit to thrive as a city, the quality of the business environment must be considered as important as the quality of residential life. This will require improvements in the following areas:

COSTS: The operating cost environment for businesses compared to


regional and peer cities.

NETWORKS: Proximity to related businesses, suppliers, and business services are a key ingredient in location decisions and operating success.

INFORMATIONS: There are many information gaps that need to be filled to align businesses with workforce, incentives, and public services. SERVICES: Effective and reliable government services are needed to support existing and new businesses. ACCESS: Detroit has a legacy of quality, and diverse infrastructure. Strategic improvements are needed to ensure efficient access via highway, rail, ports, and local streets. REGULATIONS: Permitting, zoning, and other codes need to be reconfigured to support local job and business growth. SAFETY: Safety and security of people and buildings is often cited as a key concern by business owners.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

VAN DYKE

TELEGRAPH

GRA

TIO

ARD ODW WO

8 MILE

GRA

ND

RIV

ER

MT. ELLIOTT McNICHOLS

48
DEQUINDRE/ EASTERN MARKET

E. JE

FFER

SON

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION


The Strategic Framework proposes five strategies to grow an equitable economy for Detroit: Support the Four Key Economic Growth Pillars that have already demonstrated promising job growth: education and medical employment (Eds and Meds), digital and creative jobs, industrial employment (both traditional and new technologies, large-scale and artisanal, manufacture, and processes), and local entrepreneurship. Use place-based strategies to create core investment and employment corridors, focusing on seven employment districts where job growth is already occurring; Encourage local entrepreneurship and minority-owned business; Improve education and skills development; and

PLANS FOR ACTION

49

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

MIDTOWN

CORKTOWN

FORD

DOWNTOWN

The strategies also emphasize strengthening the citys minority business community through expanded opportunities for business ownership and growth. Finally, the plan attempts to create linkages between education and training and opportunities to utilize newly developed skills and address skills gaps and opportunity gaps together, efficiently and fairly. The success of the plan will rest on the capacity of the strategies to unlock the vast potential of the citys land assets. Through preferential zoning, targeted infrastructure investments, attraction of new capital into the city, and innovative approaches to address under-utilization of land, the strategy aims to increase the value of and investments in the citys highest-potential jobs-producing land. If successful, the citys available land can become its greatest economic asset.

MIC

HIGAN

SOUTHWEST

PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS


DIGITAL / CREATIVE EDS & MEDS AND DIGITAL / CREATIVE INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE GLOBAL TRADE / INDUSTRIAL
FERSO

Sources: DWPLTP Planning Team


FOR T
1 2 4 MILES

The DWP Framework identifies seven primary Employment Districts that provide the best opportunity for large-scale job growth. Located across the city, these districts represent a diverse cross-section of Detroits economy.

W. JEF

Transform the citys land into an economic asset. Each strategy is designed to address specific challenges but also to reinforce the other four strategies. These strategies are also designed to be flexible to actual economic conditions and changing needs in the city and region, and thus are not tied to specific horizons or timelines. They are consistent, however, with the Strategic Frameworks vision for stabilization and transformation over a period of 20 to 50 years. Detroits public, private, civic and philanthropic stakeholders should align their investments and programmatic initiatives with the broader Framework and with each others objectives. The core mechanism for this coordination is strengthening seven existing employment districts in the city. Information from land surveys, data on the citys economy, and interviews with key stakeholders formed the basis for mapping these districts. The unique characteristics of each district are identified not only for their economic potential, but for the diverse opportunities each offers to employ people with a broad range of interests and skills. The Framework recommends:

When we lost the jobs and saw the increase in crime, that sense of common purpose/ community was lost.

Create and cultivate a more dense, active vibrant city from which businesses can flourish and grow.

Entrepreneurs Summit

PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT DESCRIPTIONS AND LOCATIONS DIGITAL / CREATIVE DESCRIPTION


Districts characterized by economic opportunities in information technology and creative businesses such as design & advertising.

EDS & MEDS / DIGITAL AND CREATIVE


Districts characterized by economic opportunities in education, healthcare, research, technology and creative enterprises.

INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE
Districts characterized by economic opportunities in industrial activity like food processing and automotive manufacturing as well as creative enterprises and local entrepreneurship.

GLOBAL TRADE / INDUSTRIAL


Districts characterized by economic opportunities in global industrial activity including automotive, metals and logistics.

Seniors Working Session, 2/15/2012

LOCATIONS

Downtown

Midtown McNichols

Dequindre-Eastern Market Corktown

Southwest Mt. Elliott

Formalizing the importance of these districts through land use and zoning changes; and Encouraging public, private, and philanthropic investments in infrastructure and real estate to support these districts.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

1
111K
111,000 Detroiters work outsiDe of the city - this is 57% greater than the 70,700 Detroiters who
work within the city

2 B

SEVEN TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS : FIVE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

50

SUPPORT FOUR KEY ECONOMIC PILLARS

USE A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR GROWTH


51

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

70,700 Detroiters live anD


work within Detroit

The most recent 30-year regional employment forecast for Detroit, developed by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), shows some employment growth in Detroit between 2010 and 2015, followed by a leveling off after 2015. For the entire 2010-2040 period, SEMCOG projects the entire Southeast Michigan regional economy will add 300,000 net new jobs, of which just over 7,000 will land in the City of Detroit. Although these projections provide an important sightline into the dynamics of the citys and regions economies, and can be used as a baseline for understanding future job growth, they suffer from an unavoidable flaw: They were developed assuming business as usual. The business as usual projections do not account for or anticipate the potential impact of aligning future investments with existing major civic investments in the four pillar economic areas. Coupled with critical changes in the citys productive landscape including the resurgence of the downtown district and the emergence of the city as a hub for digital and creative businessesthese investments indicate that continued, intentional investment in the Four Key Economic Growth Pillars will yield potent benefits.

163K
163,500 people commute into the city - 2.3 times the
number of people commute into the city than live anD work in the city.

WHERE DETROITERS AND COMMUTERS WORK


30%

These efforts will rely on an alignment among all levels of government (city, state, federal), the private sector, and the philanthropic community. Many in the private sector have voiced support for concentrating economic activity, with the understanding that it will increase the feasibility and efficiency of private-sector attempts to address shortcomings in the existing operating environment. Some private companies already pool resources to fund shared security and emergency services. Concentrating activity would make these investments more efficient and could create conditions for private-public-philanthropic partnerships to address other critical issues like transportation linkages between residents and employment opportunities. To help target resources and develop effective infrastructure, land use, and worker-support policies, each employment district will require a menu of strategies and investments tailored to the opportunities they present.

70% of Detroit jobs are


helD by commuters

70%

30% of Detroit jobs are


helD by Detroiters

30% 39%

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 Align cluster strategies with the Detroit Strategic Framework. Establish cluster-based collaboration with labor market intermediaries. 2 3 4 1

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Align public, private, and philanthropic investments in employment districts. Develop detailed action plans for primary employment districts. Encourage industrial business improvement districts (IBIDS). Become a national leader in green industrial districts.

39%

61% of employeD Detroiters


work outsiDe the city

61%

Increasing employment opportunities within the city and decreasing travel times to work will have a positive affect for Detroit residents as many will have greater access to employment.

39% of employeD Detroiters


work within the city

Data Sources: 2010 LEHD On the Map; ICIC Analysis

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

A strategy that targets the sectors of the economy that are most likely to generate broad-based economic growth will allow the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to align strategies and resources around economic growth pillars that can create jobs, foster economic opportunity and social equity, and best utilize the citys land assets. These opportunities fall into four broad categories: Education and Medical; Industrial; Digital/Creative; and Local Entrepreneurship.

Seven specific employment districts have the greatest potential to unleash largescale job creation in Detroit. These districts will promote a deliberate spatial pattern to business activity, generate multiple benefits to the economy, and help alleviate critical fiscal and social issues in the city. Reinvesting in specific employment districts will create the scale required for efficient investments in infrastructure and services; allow development of effective strategies for building demolition and land assembly; and create dense employment nodes that can facilitate transportation connections between Detroit residents and businesses, an issue that currently plagues the least-advantaged Detroiters but also employers who would benefit from a larger labor pool with more reliable transportation options. This concept will have a secondary (but critical) effect of raising property values in the employment districts, thus reducing the required subsidy for new construction and creating conditions to support private real estate activity.

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

1 C
ENCOURAGE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MINORITY BUSINESS PARTICIPATION

2 D

7 E
LAND REGULATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS

SEVEN TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS : FIVE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS


Ensure economic development improves RESIDENTS quality of life - BEYOND PROSPERITY AND INCOME ALONE

IMPROVE SKILLS AND SUPPORT EDUCATION REFORM

52

The local business clusters are also a good opportunity to diversify the citys base of businesses. Many of the opportunities in the local clusters do not require large amounts of start-up capital, yet offer proximity to a large and broad base of customers. Moreover, some of the infrastructure to support these initiatives has already been built. The Midtown educational and medical institutions are national leaders in identifying opportunities for local suppliers, and DEGC has started a multiyear Local B2B initiative to increase local opportunities in this cluster. Broadening and deepening existing efforts and identifying new opportunities could lead to the creation of thousands of jobs in the city.

This approach attempts to increase the opportunities and means for Detroiters to improve their education and skills levels, then reward these investments with job opportunities, career paths, and higher wages. The approach recognizes that education and skills are the primary determinants of economic quality of life and must be matched with opportunities to utilize these skills and be rewarded.

A critical opportunity lies in developing and popularizing organizational and funding mechanisms for clean and safe programs to dramatically improve the character and security of Detroits industrial and commercial zones and employment centers. Perception is reality, so focusing on the look and feel of key employment areas is essential to their success. Branding and character campaigns can also dramatically improve the allure of certain areas to specific economic clusters, while conceptual site and district planning exercises can help brokers and developers to concretely envision the potential of an area and plan for land assembly as appropriate. In addition, attention to the natural environment will create modern and green employment districts that improve the health of workers and nearby residents.

While everybody is looking at Detroit today and saying, Oh, thank God we are not Detroit, I say many people in America are going to wake up 10 years from now surprised that Detroit is rewriting the new chapter of what an American city looks like.

Omar Blaik, Urban Development Expert

If this strategy includes reaching into the communities, recruiting the residents who have the skills and training those who dont, then it will contribute.

Maria, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 3 4 Promote short-term approaches to increase the number and success of MBEs and DBEs in the City. Support the development of low-cost, shared spaces for clusters with high levels of self employment. Provide young Detroiters with exposure to and experience in Digital / Creative and other new economy clusters. Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase and strengthen the Citys MBEs. 1 2 3 4 5 6

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Hire Detroit: Strengthen local hiring practices. Link workforce investments to transportation. Coordinate workforce development best practices. Revitalize incumbent workforce training. Expand public-private partnerships for workforce development. Commission a study to identify levers to improve graduation rates and poor labor market outcomes of Detroiters. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Text Sources: 8) Margaret Simms and Marla McDaniel, The Black-White Jobless Gap, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 5, 2010.

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Create an industrial side-lot program. Create a priority permitting process for employment districts. Focus on land banking industrial and commercial property. Identify alternative capital sources for real estate development. Articulate a reverse change-of-use policy. Create master-planned industrial hubs. Address underutilization of industrial building space and land. Address weaknesses in the local brokerage sector.

Focus on providing services and products for the needs [of] under resourced families. 1) Agriculture to provide food products. 2) Construction for low-cost efficient home ownership. 3) Deconstruction and reuse of materials from homes.

Jeff, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

As many Detroit leaders have recognized, growing the base of the citys entrepreneurs is a great opportunity for employment and wealth creation. Opportunities for the self-employed and small businesses are likely to increase over time: Nationally, employment growth has been fastest in those parts of the economy that serve local markets rather than national and international (traded) markets. These opportunities will grow as consumers turn increasingly to local products and larger national and international companies continue to outsource secondary functions, such as building and facilities maintenance. These are significant but often overlooked opportunities. For example, the Local Business Services cluster (Local B2B) in Detroit employs about 25,000 people (including self-employed) and could employ thousands more if local demand for these services was met by Detroit-based companies. The opportunities that exist in Detroit today can support different forms of enterprise, self-employment, small business ownership, and scaling of existing businesses.

Skills building and education reform are key factors driving economic growth in Detroit. Even more important, they shape opportunity, incomes, and quality of life for Detroiters. Although the Framework does not discuss K-12 reform, the strategies here will complement K-12 improvement in the citys public schools by increasing high school graduation rates and improving the value of two-year degrees held by Detroiters; better linking the needs of employers with workforce training investments, a direction already underway among the citys workforce training providers and community colleges; increasing training opportunities for degreed Detroiters already in the workforce; developing strategies to address challenges faced by African American high school graduates nationally in securing full-time employment opportunities;8 and in general, increasing overall opportunities for Detroiters by better linking residents to Detroit jobs as well as overcoming challenges with physical access to workforce opportunities by better aligning employment and training locations with residential areas in the city.

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

The condition, location, and configuration of Detroits job-producing land presents many challenges that are critical to address in order to generate economic activity and jobs for all Detroiters. The regulation of land in employment districts can have far-reaching impacts, including blight reduction, improved safety, and ultimately a surge in private investment.

Target industries that will provide jobs and also improve quality of life throughout the city: recycling, deconstruction, retrofitting/rehabbing/ weatherization, senior care & services, urban agriculture, clean/sustainable energy (solar, geothermal, wind)

53

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

This strategy [continuing to grow and support four key economic growth pillars] builds upon existing industries that current and aspiring Detroiters are familiar with, yet also allows for expansion and innovation.

Provide turn-key start up food production and processing opportunities and housing opportunities that entrepreneurs could lease if successful.

Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

Angie, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

54

FOUR KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH PILLARS A THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FOUR ECONOMIC PILLARS
KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH CLUSTER LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
Local Business to Business (B2B)

55

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

CURRENT EMPLOYEES

PROJECTED GROWTH IN 10 YEARS*

REPRESENTATIVE JOBS
Accounting, landscaping, facilities maintenance, short haul trucking, wholesale activities, recruiting, and delivery Assembly, fabrication, engineering, processing, packaging, trucking, rail operation, construction trades, management

20,000

10%

TARGET INDUSTRIAL:
Automotive Food and Beverage (F&B) Metal Fabrication (MF) Transportation, Distribution and Repair (TDL) Construction, Demolition, Engineering and Repurposing (CDER)

27,000

14%

To provide a broader picture for Detroits economic growth, the Framework relies on three sets of 20-year scenarios for the citys employment. The first scenario directly borrows SEMCOGs projections for Detroit, resulting in total city job growth of 1.5% over 20 years. The second scenario applies SEMCOGs growth rates for Wayne County to Detroit, resulting in about 4% job growth over the period. The third scenario applies projected U.S. growth rates to the city of Detroit, resulting in almost 20% job growth over 20 years, the equivalent of about 50,000 new jobs in the city. Just as important, in this scenario, job growth in the city keeps pace with that in the region and contributes to a more vibrant regional economy.

INDUSTRIAL includes those clusters in which processing, assembly, manufacturing,


repair, or distribution of physical goods is a central activity. A core set of industrial clusters is thought to drive to Detroits current and future economy: automotive; construction/demolition/engineering/repurposing (CDER); food; metals and machinery; and transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL). The physical transformation of the city will spur significant job and business growth in the CDER cluster and create additional opportunity in the food cluster as more land becomes available for productive use. Together, companies in these clusters employ 27,000 people in industrial activity in the city and thousands more in non-industrial positions. Many jobs in the industrial clusters do not require high levels of formal education but do pay above-average wages. There are three primary industrial areasDequindre/ Eastern Market, Mt. Elliott, and Southwestand multiple secondary industrial areas.

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP. This broad category includes a range of potential


transformative agendas including formalizing the informal sector; improving the economic lives of the self-employed by increasing their net wages and/or helping them to transition from self-employed to small business owner; and aiding in business creation and expansion for Detroits entrepreneurs and wouldbe entrepreneurs. One of the largest opportunities for entrepreneurs is in Local Business Services, i.e., Local B2B, a broad category that captures the opportunity for small- and mid-sized local businesses to provide goods and services to other, usually larger businesses. Local B2B firms perform professional and support services like accounting, printing, and employee recruiting; local logistical services like short-haul trucking and courier services; and facilities management functions including security, janitorial, and landscaping services. Local B2B companies can be successful at many scales, including sole proprietorships and very small companies. There is a tremendous opportunity in this cluster todayDetroit currently has a Local B2B gap of about 10,000 jobs that could be supported by existing activity and the cluster is expected to grow all across the United States in the next decade.

DIGITAL/CREATIVE includes companies in Information Technology (IT) but more


broadly, companies that use web-based technologies and platforms to deliver service. The Digital clusters are centered around a few large downtown companies that specialize in IT outsourcing for large corporate clients (GalaxE, Strategic Staffing Solutions, VisionIT) but also Quicken, a mortgage lending company that revolutionized the use of on-line platforms in consumer lending; and Crain Communications, which makes broad use of digital media. The downtown New Economy cluster is part of a larger regional cluster that includes the IT divisions of global companies like General Motors and General Electric. Although still small relative to its potential, Detroit has one of the fastest-growing IT clusters in the country and is a key reason why the Detroit metro area led the United States in tech-related job growth in 2010. Detroits creative cluster, which specializes in areas like design, advertising, and talent management, can be found in every part of the city but is most highly concentrated along the so-called Creative Corridor and in Northwest around McNichols Road.

DIGITAL / CREATIVE:
Digital Industries (DI) Creative Industries (CI)

12,000

6%

Programming, engineering, industrial design, IT repair, web services, fashion, graphic design, arts

EDUCATION & MEDICAL:


Education Healthcare

50,000

26%

Teaching, administration, medical services, research, vocational training, dentistry, medical manufacturing

EDUCATION AND MEDICAL, also known as Eds and Meds or the anchor
institutions, includes hospitals, health clinics, and health-related manufacturing like medical devices, as well as universities, community colleges, and some research organizations. Together, these organizations employ 50,000 people in Detroit, with concentrations of activity in the Midtown area and in the northwest around McNichols Road. In the city of Detroit, hospitals make up approximately 60% of the employment in Eds and Meds. Henry Ford Hospital is the largest with more than 10,000 employees. Detroits colleges, universities, and professional schools employ over 8,000 while educating 65,000 people per year. In addition, many of Michigans major universities now have Detroit offices or programs. Health-related organizations like home health care services and outpatient clinics also create large numbers of jobs.

OTHER:
Retail Government Real Estate Finance

86,000

44%

Retail management and sales, stocking, headquarters activity, public service, nonprofit management

Table Sources: Quarterly Workforce Indicators Census, ICIC Analysis *Percentages exclude Public Administration

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

DETROIT AS A PERCENTAGE OF REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT

14%
Detroit southeast michigan

regional employment

DETROITS EMPLOYMENT CLUSTERS

30% 29% 22%


56

food industry education healthcare creative industry


southeast michigan 57

17%
Detroit

Data Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI), 2011

FOUR KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH PILLARS: STRATEGIES

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

REGIONAL AUTO ASSEMBLY

DETROIT POPULATION / NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) GRANTS

A.1

ALIGN CLUSTER STRATEGIES WITH THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

A.2

ESTABLISH COLLABORATION WITH LABOR MARKET INTERMEDIARIES IN EACH ECONOMIC CLUSTER

Detroit receives 14% of state's nih grants 7%

Detroit receives 90% of msa's nih grants

ORION ASSEMBLY

STERLING HEIGHTS ASSEMBLY

Detroit has 7% of michigans


population

7%

Detroit has 17% of msas


population

17%

17%

The city and regional economies are loosely organized into clusters with strong, but not always coordinated, local and regional intermediaries in the education, medical, creative, digital and food clusters; as well as some coordination of the traditional industrial clusters. This diverse set of organizations should create new strategies, or update existing ones, to reflect the priorities and actions in the Detroit Strategic Framework, which will the space for cooperation within and across clusters on common issues like workforce training, transportation, and security. Cluster organization and strategy development are perhaps the key mechanism for identifying areas of cooperation and investment that mutually benefit the city and regional economies and create strong and durable linkages between city and regional stakeholders. Given the current citywide shortage of available, turnkey, low-cost space, each cluster strategy should include a real estate component that identifies real estate options, including shared-space options, for cluster companies and the selfemployed. In addition, each cluster strategy should identify a portfolio of capital options for funding necessary real estate investments and business development and growth. In short, cluster leaders should look to cooperate with traditional and non-traditional capital sources to align resources with growth clusters and activities. Finally, each cluster strategy should outline a comprehensive approach for inclusion that ensures low-income and minority populations participate in and benefit from cluster growth.

WARREN TRUCK

The profound changes in city and regional labor markets have been accompanied by a change in the workforce infrastructure and the role of various intermediaries. One of the key changes is the growing importance of temp agencies in identifying and placing potential workers. Temp agencies role in placing workers in manufacturing and technology-related firms has expanded greatly in Detroit and nationally. Today, employers utilize temp agencies to screen for new hires that produce value in a short window of time. As such, cluster leaders should coordinate and create linkages between labor market intermediaries and the private sector in order to develop a Detroit labor pool that can produce short- and long-term value for companies. Detroit residents placement into jobs will be enhanced through tighter linkages between temp agencies and traditional training intermediaries, and between the large suburban temp agencies looking for workers and the city residents looking for jobs.

DEARBORN TRUCK MICHIGAN ASSEMBLY WOODHAVEN STAMPING AUTO ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL 3.5 7 14 MILES

JEFFERSON NORTH ASSEMBLY WINDSOR ASSEMBLY

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 Align cluster strategies with the Detroit Strategic Framework. Establish cluster-based collaboration with labor market intermediaries

REGIONAL AUTO ASSEMBLY


AUTO ASSEMBLY PLANTS DETROIT WAYNE COUNTY COUNTY BOUNDARIES

michigan

population

9,883,640

metropolitan statistical area (msa) population 4,296,250

Detroit

population

Detroit

713,777

population

713,777

Source: Interface Studio

Data Sources: Census 2010 SF1 File; National Institute of Health, Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools; ICIC Analysis Due to the strength of institutions in Detroit, the city receives a large proportion of the states NIH Grants. This puts Detroit at the center of medical research for the Region with the city receiving 90 percent of grants by NIH in the metro area.

Detroit has been and continues to be the center of the industrial network in Southeast Michigan. The geographic location of the city at the center of the region and a larger international trade hub is a strategic asset that can be leveraged to revitalize Detroits economy and increase opportunities for the citys residents.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

BUSINESS STRENGTH DETROIT ECONOMIC ANCHORS 2010 ESTIMATED NUMBER OF BUSINESSES 2010 ESTIMATED EMPLOYMENT* ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY AT EXISTING FIRMS, 1990-2010 3,000

LAND OPPORTUNITY JOB OPPORTUNITY VACANT UNDER(ACRES) UTILIZED (ACRES) POTENTIAL AVAILABLE JOBS JOB CAPACITY AT VACANT SITES >1 ACRE

SOUTHWEST

Detroit Water and Sewerage, Ford Pack Plant, Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal, Ambassador Bridge and Customs Complex Marathon Refinery GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant, I-94 Industrial Park, Detroit Chassis, Chrysler Axle, Chrysler Tool & Die, Cassens Transport Eastern Market, Russell Industrial Complex, Detroit Resource Recovery Facility, Pepsi Bottling, Wolverine Packing Post Office, DHL, Michigan Avenue retail, Ponyride, UPS, proximity to Downtown and Southwest Detroit

850

7,500

405

588

Stock clerks and order fillers, truck drivers, first line supervisors and managers, carpenters, civil engineers Assemblers and fabricators, machinists, truck drivers accountants, civil engineers Packing and filling machine operators, assemblers and fabricators, advertising sales agents, lawyers Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, stock clerks and order fillers, truck drivers, editors, advertising sales agents Computer programmers, computer support specialists, advertising sales agents, editors, lobby attendants and ticket takers, ushers Specialists, postsecondary teachers, registered nurses, physicians, surgeons, computer support specialists, secretaries, janitors and cleaners Specialists, postsecondary teachers, registered nurses, physicians, surgeons, computer support specialists, secretaries, janitors and cleaners Machinists, assemblers and fabricators, inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, weighers, truck drivers, carpenters, first line supervisors and managers

4,500

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

MT. ELLIOTT

58

INDUSTRIAL

1,700

10,000

4,000

423

181

3,900

USE A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR GROWTH INVESTING IN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS B


Detroit was built around a diverse and distributed collection of employment corridors. Concentrations of large institutions, including universities and medical centers, formed in Midtown and along McNichols Road (6 Mile); and Downtown was built as a hub for business and entertainment. Industrial uses, long associated with Detroits innovative spirit, were developed alongside the citys infrastructure networks (notably rail, the Port and, more recently, highways). Some formerly active areas of industrial employment have indeed experienced the worst of the citys decline. Fortunately, other areas remain strong today and provide the framing for creating concentrations of business activity. Detroits established employment corridors, therefore, face very different futures. The fundamental challenge for economic development strategy and growth is not a matter of the physical scale of the city, as is often claimed, but the lack of employment density. Attracting investors, new businesses, and employees to Detroit is now inhibited by physical deterioration, limited services, and aging infrastructure that comes with the reduction in the number of companies and employees in a given area. Similarly, potential public investments in key infrastructure like transportation are difficult to deploy efficiently because of the checkerboard pattern of business activity in the city. Detroit must strategically boost employment density to fuel economic growth and investment and provide targets and a rationale for public investments to strengthen the economy. Based on the existing patterns of business activity, potential for future growth, location of key economic assets, and land availability and ownership patterns, three categories of employment districts have been identified. These include:

59

INDUSTRIAL / NEW ECONOMY

E. MARKET

650

4,000

4,000

307

42

4,600

SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS. Not all existing economic activity

750

2,500

200

124

1,600**

DIGITAL / CREATIVE

DOWNTOWN

Quicken Loans/Bedrock, Renaissance Center, Comerica Park, Ford Field, MGM Grand, Cobo Hall, Riverfront, Municipal Center, Compuware, Blue Cross Blue Shield, GM Headquarters, DTE Energy, Greektown, Olympia Entertainment Wayne State University, Tech Town, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Center, College for Creative Studies

7,150

40,000

11,500

N/A

N/A

N/A

occurs within the core employment districts. Other locations in Detroit provide valuable jobs, just not at the same density or scale as the core districts. These secondary districts represent many of Detroits remaining industrial areas and are characterized by established industrial businesses but also higher vacancy rates. Due to the presence of larger tracts of vacant land, a few of these districts present some significant opportunities for redevelopment. However, due to location, infrastructure, and the level of investment needed to bring these sites to market, they have remained vacant. While valuable to the citys economy, the secondary districts lack a distinct niche or marketing identity that could help to spur additional private investment, andin a world of limited resources should generally not absorb public or philanthropic dollars for new infrastructure or programmatic investments. The strategy for these districts should include maintenance of existing infrastructure, retention of existing businesses, and flexibility to allow public and philanthropic dollars to follow the lead in the event of large-scale private-sector investment.

TRANSITIONING INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS. Some industrial land is no longer

3,400

29,500

16,000

N/A

N/A

N/A

EDUCATION AND MEDICAL

MIDTOWN

suitable for modern industrial use due to a combination of different factors including a high concentration of vacant land and buildings, buildable sites that are too small to attract investment, and poor truck or rail access. In a handful of cases, what was formerly industrial is now institutional or commercial, all but eliminating the likelihood of new industrial development. Like many cities, Detroit needs to change land use policy to enable a full transition of these unmarketable industrial areas to alternative uses as identified in the Land Use and Land and Building Assets Element chapters of this Strategic Framework.

McNICHOLS

Sinai Grace Hospital, WCCCD, Marygrove College, University of Detroit-Mercy, Livernois Avenue

1,900

5,500

2,500

N/A

N/A

N/A

CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS. Seven employment districts across the city


represent the best opportunities to leverage existing land and infrastructure and support sustainable economic development. Core employment districts are defined by the presence of significant economic anchors to build upon including major legacy businesses or institutions, a diversity of economic activity, excellent infrastructure access, a recognized niche or brand that can help to attract additional businesses, and relatively vibrant existing employment activity. It is in these districts where focused and proactive public investment can have the greatest impact. Given their importance to the overall economic health of Detroit, core employment districts should be the target of efforts to assemble and redevelop land, improve and upgrade infrastructure; and test and develop initiatives designed to maximize private investment and improve workforce training. In an era of limited resources, Detroits economic growth should be built upon the future of these districts. 1 2 3 4 1 1 2

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
Align public, private, and philanthropic investments in employment districts. Develop detailed action plans for primary employment districts. Encourage industrial business improvement districts (IBIDS). Become a national leader in green industrial districts.

Legacy businesses in each district

1,850

11,500

7,500

683

372

8,200

PRECEDENT
Los Angeles Downtown Industrial District (LADID): Los Angeles, CA

SECONDARY

INDUSTRIAL

PILOT PROJECTS
Action Plans for Primary Employment Districts Industrial Buffers

Table Sources: 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI; Interface Studio Industrial Land Use Survey; ICIC Analysis *2010 employment numbers include self-employment **Corktown statistic is only for the redevelopment of industrial vacant land Survey data on vacancies and under-utilized sites are not available

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

CORKTOWN

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

in total merchandise export value in 2011

among the nations


60

metropolitan statistical areas in terms of export value


1 2 4 MILES

INDUSTRIAL

SOUTHWEST

61

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

SOUTHWEST EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES
PROPOSED TIER 1 ROUTE MICHIGAN AVE

DISTRICT VITALS AREA VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS 2,694 405 588 6% I-75, NS Container Port, Ambassador Bridge, Port of Detroit, Fort Street, DIFT Intermodal Hub Michigan Central Railway Tunnel expansion, DIFT expansion, New International Trade Crossing Refer to adjacent map 850 7,500

DISTRICT VISION. Southwest Detroit has unparalleled access to infrastructure and represents a signature
opportunity for Detroit. Through investments to the areas Port, rail yards, international crossings, and main streets, Southwest will be positioned to become the countrys largest, non-coastal transportation, logistics, and distribution (TDL) hub and an integral node for national and international trade. Expansion of TDL operations will transform blighted land into jobs-producing assets that provide economic opportunity for Detroiters of all backgrounds and skill levels. To protect both industrial activity and the nearby communities, industrial land uses will be consolidated south of I-75 and around the proposed Detroit International Freight Terminal (DIFT). Landscape buffers will be created to reduce noise, visibility, and pollution impacts on nearby communities. A proposed ring-road that connects employment districts across the city as well as the Coleman A. Young Airport will help to fuel additional demand for TDL activities in Southwest from local businesses.

CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


CLARK TECH PARK

INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
U.S. CUSTOMS COMPLEX

DETROIT INTERMODAL FREIGHT TERMINAL

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS

DEARBORN PORT OF DETROIT FORD ROUGE COMPLEX DETROIT PRODUCE TERMINAL PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL TRADE CROSSING

DISTRICT DETAILS. Southwest Detroit is a compact industrial corridor radiating from the Corktown neighborhood
along the Detroit River on the south and along the rail corridor leading to the proposed Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal (DIFT) on the north. Nearby residential and commercial districts are located in Mexicantown, Hubbard Farms, Springwells, and Delray neighborhoods, along with major civic assets such as Historic Fort Wayne (now closed, but open to visitors), and Riverside Park. Southwests unique concentration of industrial assets includes the newly expanded and consolidated DIFT and three international border crossings at the combined Ambassador Bridge / new Customs complex; the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel (slated for replacement); and the proposed New International Trade Crossing (NITC). These crossings supplement the major infrastructure assets: the Rouge and Detroit River Marine Terminals; access to I-75 and I-94, proposed rail track upgrades to West Detroit Junction; the reconstruction of southwest Fort Street and its River Rouge Bridge; and numerous freight rail hubs and drayage trucking links to the DIFT Southwest. Southwest is thus the ideal location for a range of industrial activity, including the regions only oil refinery (being upgraded to include heavy crude capability), a DWSD Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Detroit Produce Terminal, and two industrial parks: Springwells and the Clark Technology Park. The proposed infrastructure investments are essential for Southwest to reach its potential for economic growth, but only if accompanied by complementary efforts to strategically assemble land that supports global trade and logistics activities. Although there are opportunities for redevelopment in the Springwells and Clark Technology Parks, the most promising assembly areas lie just west of the NITC project area in Delray, the area adjacent to the DIFT expansion, and the land around the Port of Detroit. The TDL, automotive, and CDER clusters currently dominate the district with a mix of large operations and smallto mid-sized firms. Southwest is the second-largest industrial corridor in the city by employment, with more than 7,500 employees, and companies currently operating are able to add 3,000 more jobs.

AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

ER

PR

ROU R1 TIE T ST SED OR OPO W F

TR OIT

TE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ECONOMIC ANCHORS
Dont pigeonhole other areas people live in SW Detroit; it is a desirable place still for people to moveTheres a place for both [industry and neighborhood amenities].

CONTAINER PORT

DE

RIV

TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

MARATHON REFINERY

DWSD TREATMENT PLANT

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE 3,000 additional jobs

DWP Website, 8/2012

4,500 additional jobs Stock clerks and order fillers, truck drivers, first line supervisors and managers, carpenters, civil engineers, accountants

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

TYPES OF JOBS Data Sources: International Trade Administration Image Source: 6) Little House on the Urban Prairie blog

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

6.

CAPITALIZING ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE

PRO POS ED RIN GR OA D

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

16,000 chevy volts were sold in the first 9 months of 2012

among electric cars sold in the u.s.


62
1 2 4 MILES

INDUSTRIAL

MT. ELLIOTT
7.

CREATING A MODERN INDUSTRIAL AND INTERMODAL FREIGHT DISTRICT


DISTRICT VISION. The Mt. Elliott employment district was built around automotive and metals activity. The vision is to upgrade Mt. Elliott as an intense and attractive industrial area designed to accommodate modern, large-format industrial development; provide ample employment opportunities for Detroiters; and reinforce the regions role as a global hub for manufacturing. Expansion of the Coleman A. Young Airport will serve to support the local auto and metals industries but also provide additional opportunities in aerospace activities that align with many skills already in place to serve auto production. A new ring-road will connect this district directly with Chrysler to the south along with logistics activities, the Port, and the international crossing in Southwest Detroit.
The contraction of the auto industry in 2008-2010 set the stage for a new wave of growth and diversification in Mt. Elliott by opening up large tracts of land. The three largest land development assets in the corridor include the nearly complete I-94 Industrial Park, the large parcel vacancies centered on the former Chrysler Detroit Axle Plant and the Trident Huber site to the south, and the vastand largely vacantresidential area between Forest Lawn Cemetery and the Coleman A. Young Airport. In addition, with moderate land assembly efforts, four additional mid-sized parcels could be created out of current vacancies. With the resurgence of the auto industry and the assemblers and suppliers new and evolving research and training needs, this district can be positioned for innovative education and training facilities and can support smaller-scale tech center research and development for smaller and lower-tier suppliers.

63

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

MT. ELLIOTT EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


CHRYSLER TOOL & DIE
OUTER DRIVE PROPOSED CROSSTOWN ROUTE 7 MILE HAYES
CON AN

CHRYSLER ASSEMBLY

ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS
DRI VE

DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS 3,203 423 181 11% I-94, Detroit North Rail Yard and Freight Rail, Coleman A. Young International Airport Coleman A. Young International Airport expansion, I-94 widening

MT. OLIVET CEMETERY

PRO

POS

MCNICHOLS

R ING DR N OSE ISO ROP DAV P

OAD

OUT

ER

HIGHLAND PARK HAMTRAMCK

CHRYSLER AXLE

COLEMAN A. YOUNG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
I am trying to work where I live and volunteer where I live: Van Dyke and Mt. Elliott, E. Seven Mile. Id love to see both chain and local shops of all kinds on [these] corridors. Coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants with patios, pop-ups, retail, etc.

DISTRICT DETAILS. The Mt. Elliott employment district runs from the center of Detroit north to the city limits at
Eight Mile. It lies in the heart of the regions automotive manufacturing corridor that runs through the city and into the suburbs by way of the Chrysler Warren Truck Plant and the GM Powertrain and Tech Centers. Mt. Elliot is Detroits manufacturing heartland and its potential is bolstered by its proximity to major infrastructure assets such as Coleman A. Young Airport, freight rail and rail yards, and direct access to I-94. The area is slated for further infrastructure investment in the form of rail improvements, bridge construction, and the widening of I-94 through the area to four lanes. The automotive, metals, and TDL clusters dominate this districts economy, with large stakeholders such as the GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Detroit Chassis, and Chrysler Tool and Die interacting closely with metal manufacturers, fabricators, and shippers. Mt. Elliott is the single largest industrial corridor in the city by employment and the third largest industrial or non-industrial employment district in Detroitwith an estimated 10,000 employees within its boundaries as of 2010. Companies currently operating in the district are able to add 4,000 jobs.

I-94 INDUSTRIAL PARK


O WO

ECONOMIC ANCHORS TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

Refer to adjacent map 1,700 10,600

GM ASSEMBLY PLANT

WA

RRE

CHRYSLER ASSEMBLY PLANT

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES >1 ACRE 4,000 additional jobs

Source: DWPLTP Team Team Planning


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

Angie, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

3,900 additional jobs

Data Sources: http://www.clean-greencars.com/chevy-green-cars.html Image Source: 7) General Motors/John F. Martin/Jeffrey Sauger

TYPES OF JOBS

Assemblers and fabricators, machinists, truck drivers, accountants, civil engineers

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

VAN DYKE

ED GRATIER 1 TIO ROU T TE

T DW ARD

MT. ELLIOTT

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

$1.5B
64 DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012
HIGHLAND PARK HAMTRAMCK

detroit has one of the largest and highest-quality water systems in the world to support
1 2 4 MILES

INDUSTRIAL AND CREATIVE

DEQUINDRE/EASTERN MARKET
DEQUINDRE / EASTERN MARKET EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT
ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET

DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS 1,130 307 42 8% I-94, I-75, freight rail, Dequindre Cut I-94 widening, Dequindre Cut Phase II

DISTRICT VISION. Building on local assets, Dequindre/Eastern Market is envisioned as the center for food in
Detroit and the region, with uses that support retail, wholesaling, packaging, and food/beverage processing. Investment will leverage this activity and grow additional food-related businesses. This district exhibits a visible connection to the land, with urban farms and the popular indoor/outdoor market that gives the district its name, where as many as 40,000 Detroiters come from across the city each week for locally grown produce and locally made food. Productive landscapes proposed to the east of the district provide the opportunity to create a fullyear growing cycle, which would ensure Detroiters have better access to fresh food and feed the processing and packaging activities that provide the greatest number of jobs in the food cluster. Eastern Market is an intense mixed-use district. Investments should seek to not only grow food cluster activities but also reinforce local retail and creative production. Above I-94, investments should continue to strengthen the auto cluster. Unlike other districts, Dequindre/Eastern Market will become a combination of Live+Make activities, light, and general industrial typologies. New businesses focused on food and beverage processing and the expansion of existing facilities should be a priority in this district. These activities should be linked to the expansion of local food production, as proposed in the Productive Landscapes typology in the Detroit Strategic Frameworks Land Use Element. For the auto cluster north of I-94, the successful redevelopment of the American Axle site is key to the districts success. At nearly 170 acres, this sprawling complex actually includes a large area of vacant acreage that American Axle was banking for future development. The site could be redeveloped into a modern, multi-tenant industrial park.

CHI

CAG

FORMER AMERICAN AXLE

RM LAI

OUN

RUSSELL INDUSTRIAL CENTER


WO ODW ARD

GM ASSEMBLY PLANT

INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES
ED T IER 1 RO GRA UTE TIO T
MT . EL LIO TT

PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST


E. G

RESOURCE RECOVERY PLANT

WA

N RRE

GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS DEQUINDRE CUT GREENWAY

POS

PRO

GRA

ND

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ECONOMIC ANCHORS
Eastern Market is a great example of a fresh & thriving market place, and more areas like it need to spring up throughout the city.
AYE TTE

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER

PEPSI CO PLANT K MAC

Refer to adjacent map 650 6,000

WAR

REN

V
EASTERN MARKET

O ERN

RH

. WY

TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

DISTRICT DETAILS. The diverse corridor extending from Eastern Market on the south up through the freight rail
node of Milwaukee Junction to the massive former American Axle site comprises the Dequindre-Eastern Market Employment Center. The district has good access to major highways (I-75, I-94) and perhaps most crucially, proximity to the innovation corridor in Midtown Detroit. On its south end, the corridor also abuts the Dequindre Cut Greenway, soon to be extended through Eastern Market to the north, which serves as an important and highly visible neighborhood and recreational amenity in Detroit. Phase II of this rails to trails conversion will lie cheekby-jowl with active industrial uses, setting an important precedent for the mingling of clean, low-impact modern industrial uses with recreational and residential priorities in Detroit. This unique, mixed-sector corridor is currently dominated by several clusters, most notably food. The southern part of the district is anchored by the multitude of wholesalers, suppliers, and processors based in the Eastern Market, as well as a handful of large food-related plants, including Pepsi Bottling and Wolverine Packing. Near the intersection of I-75 and I-94 lies the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as well as a large collection of city industrial functions, including a DPS maintenance facility, the Detroit Resource Recovery Facility, a Detroit Transportation Department yard, DTEs Trombley Service Center, and the Detroit Household Hazardous collection center. Metals cluster activity is interspersed throughout this area and extending north to the former American Axle site. The districts Russell Industrial Center has become a hub for design, arts, and artisanal craft activities and entrepreneurs. With the closing of American Axle, employment in Dequindre-Eastern Market fell dramatically. As of 2010, there were about 6,000 jobs in the district and firm utilization rates were about 50%, largely because of the dramatic downsizing at American Axle.

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE 4,000 additional jobs

Detroit 24/7, 5/2012

F DEQUINDRE CUT LA GREENWAY

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

4,600 additional jobs

TYPES OF JOBS

Packing and filling machine operators, assemblers and fabricators, advertising sales agents, lawyers

Data Sources: ICIC, et al., Designing an Inner City Food Cluster Strategy, Submission to EDA, October 13, 2011 Image Source: 8) Marvin Shaouni

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

8.

A CENTER FOR FOOD-RELATED JOBS AND PRODUCTION IN THE REGION

65

RAN DB LVD .

OD WO WA

RD

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

corktown is home to
jobs in a mix of logistics, creative enterprises and retail has been earmarked for redevelopment efforts, including
66

INDUSTRIAL AND LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP


1 2 4 MILES

the former tiger stadium site


9.

CORKTOWN

67

A NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL DISTRICT


DISTRICT VISION. At the edge of Downtown, Corktown is envisioned as one of the Citys most desirable
Live+Make neighborhoods. New small businesses and creative enterprises will mix with existing industrial uses to further attract talent both national and global talent. New housing and continued revitalization along Michigan Avenue will provide a walkable environment for businesses with new services, entertainment, and housing. At the heart of Corktowns future is a network of community leaders, volunteers, and business entrepreneurs who can undertake neighborhood improvements and reclaim vacant lots as productive community spaces. Such groups include the Corktown Historical Society, Greater Corktown Residents Council, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Greater Corktown Development Corporation, Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, the Roosevelt Park Conservancy, Most Holy Trinity Church, and The Greening of Detroit, among others. Corktowns resurgence has attracted new businesses and entrepreneurs, and has gained momentum through the interest of funders and investors. With existing companies operating close to capacity, additional employment in Corktown will come through the strategic repurposing of vacant buildings and new construction on targeted sites. Similarly, with a housing shortage in the community, future growth of Corktown will be accommodated by the development of critical parcels of land currently held by speculators and other private land owners. To realize this vision, investment should be coordinated closely with community leaders to promote new business and housing development. Initial investments should leverage projects and programs underway, including: the $3.8 million federal earmark awarded to help redevelop the old Tiger Stadium; the Detroit RiverWalk, funded with over $40 million to connect Corktown and the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle; and the recently established program to promote business in Corktown, funding up to $50,000 or 25% of total development/capital improvements.
THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

CORKTOWN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


MGM GRAND CASINO TIGER STADIUM SITE
TR
ROS A PA RKS

ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT INDUSTRIAL ANCHOR / ASSET INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT & STABILIZATION

DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS 509 124 8 3% I-75, Ambassador Bridge, freight rail, Fort Street Michigan Central Railway Tunnel expansion Refer to adjacent map 750 2,500

PROPOSED TIER 1 ROUTE


MICHIGAN AVE DPW YARD MICHIGAN CENTRAL STATION

ORHOOD GHB NEI

MATRIX THEATRE

UM BU LL

ILIZ TAB &S

O ATI

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS CIVIC ASSETS


COMMUNITY HEALTH AWARENESS GROUP

DETROIT HISPANIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.

NT ME EST INV

AY LAF

ETT

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ON
&

D IN OO ORH

INTERNATIONAL PORT OF ENTRY

TM

ENT

VES

NEIG

HB

AMBASSADOR BRIDGE U.S. TE CUSTOMS COMPLEX OU 1R IER T T S SED PO FORT N PRO SO FER JEF

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

Data Sources: 2.5K stat from 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI.; http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/08/old_tiger_stadium_ conservancy.html Image Source: 9) Marvin Shaouni

L STABI IZATI

U.S. POST OFFICE PENSKE LOGISTICS UPS SALVATION ARMY

ECONOMIC ANCHORS
By creating concentrations of new industry and business entrepreneurship in community, we can make it easier to meet the needs of businesses and developers, employees. It possible present opportunities to use our vacant buildings in more productive ways.

TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE 200 additional jobs

FORT ST. GALLERY

DISTRICT DETAILS. A National Register Historic District, Corktown is Detroits oldest neighborhood. Established
by Irish immigrants in the wake of the Potato Famine of the 1840s, this once-industrial area is now home to key local and regional assets and popular eateries and shops, including Slows Barbecue, Honey Bee Market, and Mudgies Deli. Green spaces include Murphy Playlot and Roosevelt Park. Additionally, the Welcome Center and Mercado act as vital economic anchors in the neighborhood. Corktown is convenient for freight and people alike, providing access to the Detroit riverfront, the International Ambassador Bridge, the International Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, and all major highways. MDOT has made streetscape improvements to make Corktowns retail district inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists. Corktown is home to about 2,500 private-sector jobs, as well as thousands of public sector jobs, including postal and public works employment, Wayne County Community College (WCCC) faculty and staff jobs, and hundreds of local logistics jobs through major employer Penske Logistics and others. A 30,000-square-foot creative business incubator, Pony Ride, currently provides almost 20 creative firms with shared space at reasonable rents.

MI CH IGA NC EN LR EP LA CE NT ME TR AL

RA IL T NE UN

Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

1,600 additional jobs Laborers and freight, stock and material movers, stock clerks and order fillers, truck drivers, editors, advertising sales agents

TYPES OF JOBS

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

detroit is ranked
among the

100 largest cities for


DIGITAL AND CREATIVE

growth in information technology businesses between 1998-2009

visitors come to downtown


68

detroit every year

1 2 4 MILES

DOWNTOWN
10.

A CITY CENTER WITH AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HUB


DISTRICT VISION. The seat of government for the City of Detroit and Wayne County, Downtown is already an
important hub for employment and a symbol of Detroit. It is also a major convention and entertainment destination for the region, with a major convention center, the nations largest automobile show, three sports teams, and casinos, along with other attractions. Downtown is poised to become the best location in the state for mediumand large-sized corporations, the center of the regions burgeoning digital/creative cluster, and a nationally known center for entertainment. Vacant buildings in Downtown, often characterized by striking architecture, will be rehabilitated and occupied with new creative, digital, and professional services companies. Light rail along Woodward will connect Downtown to other employment centers and services, while the Detroit River will continue to provide a unique asset for Downtown residents, workers, and visitors. Over time, new development will complement the existing Downtown fabric to fill in the gaps and create a mixed-use and flourishing city center. This vision is already underway, with millions of square feet of office space being readied for occupancy. In early 2012, a public-private partnership was announced to develop three historic buildings for mixed-use space in Capitol Park. Potentially the largest driver of Downtown transformation is Quicken Loans acquisition of 1.6M square feet of Downtown space, which makes the company the third largest landholder in Detroit behind the City itself and GM. Working with multiple public agencies, Quicken Loans has purchased nine publicly owned vacant sites with the intention of filling them with companies and entrepreneurs from across the country.

69

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

EASTERN MARKET
SED GR TIER AT 1 IOT RO UT E

DOWNTOWN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS EDUCATIONAL ANCHORS
36TH DISTRICT COURT GREEKTOWN CASINO AND HOTEL
E. L AFA

DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS 723 N/A (survey data on vacant and underutilized sites not available) N/A 3% I-75, M10, I-375, Woodward Avenue M-1 Rail

MLK

JR

D . BLV

PRO

GOVERNMENT CIVIC ASSETS ECONOMIC ANCHORS


YE TTE

FILMORE THEATER
PRO POS GRA ED TI ND ER 1 RIV RO ER UT

FORD FIELD COMERICA PARK GRAND CIRCUS PARK


375

FOX THEATRE

INFRASTRUCTURAL ANCHOR / ASSET NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES
TE

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD

MGM GRAND

DTE ENERGY

COMPUWARE CAMPUS MARTIUS

PR

OU 1R IER N D T ERSO E OS F OP JEF

FREEWAY CARBON FOREST DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER

PROPOSED TIER 1 ROUTE MICHIGAN


ROSA PARKS TRANSIT CENTER
R1 TIE SED FORT PO R T OU E

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ECONOMIC ANCHORS
RIVERWALK

Refer to adjacent map 7,159 40,000

HART PLAZA COBO CENTER COLEMAN A YOUNG MUNICIPAL CENTER

RENAISSANCE CENTER PORT AUTHORITY


-WINDSO DETROIT TUNNEL

PRO

DETR

OIT R

IVER

Young people are recognizing movement to the city and excited about coming downtown.

TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE TYPES OF JOBS 11,500 additional jobs

DISTRICT DETAILS. Downtown Detroit is a major employment center that enjoys a number of key regional and national assets, including the regions highest concentration of entertainment venue: Three professional sports stadiums, three full-service casinos, and the Detroit riverfront. As a National Register Historic District since 1978, the district includes over 50 Nationally Registered Historic Places, such as the Fox Theatre and Detroit Opera House. Downtown Detroit is the largest employment hub in the city of Detroit and among the largest in the region, with about 40,000 employees. Existing companies could add 11,500 jobs, suggesting that current companies have space to grow.
The digital and creative clusters are well-represented in this district, as are regional and global headquarters of large companies such General Motors, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Compuware, Quicken Loans, and DTE. The headquarters activity is attracted to the availability of affordable and abundant Class-A office space. The high density of office jobs and close proximity to local retail amenities have created the conditions for intercompany cooperation and the branding of the area. Examples of collaborative efforts include the WEBward Initiative led by Quicken Loans and the Outsource to Detroit campaign by GalaxE Solutions.

JOE LOUIS ARENA

Information Cluster Working Session, 5/3/2012

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

N/A Computer programmers, computer support specialists, editors

Data Sources: ICIC SICE Database; Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Image Source: 10) Marvin Shaouni

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

PO

WO ODW ARD POS PRO AVE ED LIGH TR AIL

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

the henry ford health system has invested $1 billion to create a 300acre, mixed-use campus source detroit has
transferred about $16.5m in spending
70

EDUCATION, MEDICAL, DIGITAL, AND CREATIVE


1 2 4 MILES

to detroit-based businesses since the programs inception


11.

MIDTOWN

71

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

FISHER BUILDING NEW CENTER

MIDTOWN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


GRA N LV DB D.

ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ASSETS MEDICAL ANCHOR / ASSET
COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES CULTURAL CENTER
B IGH NE

A DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS 1,534 N/A (survey data on vacant and underutilized sites not available) N/A 6% 1-75, M-10, 1-94, freight rail Woodward Avenue Light Rail/BRT, Midtown Shuttle

DISTRICT VISION. With an unprecedented level of public/private cooperation that builds on the local skills,
resources, and knowledge base of the districts major institutions, Midtown serves as a national model for anchorbased revitalization in distressed urban areas. With the advent of the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and myriad collaborative ventures across the College of Creative Studies, Wayne State, and the medical institutions, Midtown has the potential to be a national model for innovation-based economic growth. The staging of tech-based growth companies and the creation of flex space to absorb second-generation growth from TechTown and the hospitals and universities will promote knowledge spillovers and fuel multiple scales of entrepreneurial activityfurther leveraged by the proposed light rail system on Woodward Avenue and the Woodward Corridor Initiative, a collaborative effort between Midtown Inc. and Living Cities Integration Initiative to attract local residents and businesses. Despite the positive momentum and national attention, barriers to this vision remain. Midtown is a very large district and, although many assets are in place, there is no real or symbolic center of activity. Places like TechTown need a recognizable, physical district to help attract and retain knowledge workers. There is also too little low-cost flex space for creative firms. Targeted redevelopment activity is needed to support the small, creative and IT firms as well as B2B operations that support and serve the large local institutions like Wayne State University and Henry Ford Medical Center.

ORHO HB IG NE

D O

N TIO ZA ILI AB ST

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL

TECH TOWN

WA

N RRE

EDUCATIONAL ANCHORS NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION AND INVESTMENT NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES

VA MEDICAL CENTER DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER

PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST


M ACK

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

DISTRICT DETAILS. Midtown is comprised of the traditional Midtown, North End, and New Center neighborhoods.
This district is home to a number of key regional assets, including four of the regions most celebrated hospitals that collectively represent 23,000 jobs; an agglomeration of post-secondary institutions; renowned Cass Tech High School; the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; the Detroit Public Library; community groups such as the Detroit Parent Network and Black Family Development; and three up-and-coming incubators that leverage Midtowns position as Detroits core innovation corridor. The district also includes over 70 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the Whitney Restaurant, and the worlds largest Masonic temple, the Detroit Masonic Temple. The education and medical clusters are the economic anchors in this district, while creative sector activity from organizations like Detroit Creative Corridor, TechTown, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), and Mosaic Youth Theater are some of the most tangible representations of the broad set of skills in the city and region. Collaborative efforts include the $93M Bio-Tech Hub led by Wayne State University with participation from the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) and Henry Ford Health System (HFHS); and Live Midtowna wildly successful $1.2M incentive program that pays employees of a group of Midtown institutions to purchase, rent, or improve residential property in Midtown. As the second largest employment hub in the city of Detroit, Midtown Detroit is also the fastest-growing nonindustrial employment district. Existing companies could add 16,000 jobs, suggesting that they have space to grow. Larger anchors are helping to give the area a facelift with DMC and HFHS planning to spend over $1B in facility upgrades over the next few years. These anchors are also leveraging their balance sheets to build out facilities for suppliers and other complementary companies. One anchor institution recently agreed to build a $25M medical warehouse to house supplies it uses regularly and plans to procure additional acreage in Midtown, where one-third of the available land is currently owned by the City.

ATIO

MOCAD ORCHESTRA HALL EASTERN MARKET

ILIZ TAB

PRO

S OD HO BOR GH NEI

POS GRAED TIE ND R 1 RIV ROU ER TE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ECONOMIC ANCHORS
. . .there [has been] a culture shift in the university to recognize that Wayne [State University] and Detroit are linked.
375

Refer to adjacent map 3,400 29,500

MASONIC TEMPLE CASS TECH HIGH SCHOOL

NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES

ED T GRA IER 1 TIO ROUT T E

JOB OPPORTUNITY
EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE 16,000 additional jobs

PRO

MLK

POS

JR.

BLV

D.

MOTOR CITY CASINO

Education Cluster Working Session 5/2/2012

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

N/A Janitors and cleaners, secretaries, registered nurses, computer support specialists

Data Sources: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120603/SUB01/306039941/henry-ford-lands-first-tenant-for-health-park-inmidtown ; https://sourcedetroit.com/background/?doing_wp_cron=1354558186 Image Source: 11) dbpedia.org

TYPES OF JOBS

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

BUILDING UPON LOCAL EDUCATIONAL, MEDICAL, AND CREATIVE INSTITUTIONS

D OO R RH

AB ST S
ILI

N N IO AT ZA

AIL T -R LIGH . ED AVE POS ARD PRO ODW WO

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

mcnichols is home to

in the eds and meds


72

EDUCATION AND MEDICAL AND CREATIVE


1 2 4 MILES

sector

McNICHOLS

73

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

EVERGREEN CEMETERY
OUTER DR.

McNICHOLS EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT


ECONOMIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES CORE EMPLOYMENT DISTRICT MEDICAL ANCHOR / ASSET EDUCATIONAL ASSET NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION AND INVESTMENT NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES FREEWAY CARBON FOREST

A DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


SIZE (acres) VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS 962 N/A (survey data on vacant and underutilized sites not available) N/A 2% Southfield Freeway, M-10 M-10 improvements

DISTRICT VISION. The vision for McNichols is to connect its education and medical institutions, as well as creative
enterprises, into a revitalized McNichols Road corridor that will serve as home to a mix of new small businesses, retail, and supporting services. While redevelopment and expansion opportunities are predominantly located within existing campuses, McNichols Road will serve as an attractive front door, improved to provide a unifying character and brand focused on Eds/Meds, creative businesses, and retail. Targeted investments will strengthen existing retail along Livernois Avenue and new programs will support housing and neighborhood stabilization around the district. The major employment opportunities, quality of the surrounding housing, and location near the city border position McNichols as an ideal district to attract new businesses or residents that may otherwise choose the suburbs. McNichols could also become the citys second key district for growth of creative firms. Active partnership among the districts primary employers is necessary to enact this vision. Although large land holdings by Jesuit and other publicly minded organizations foster a well-kept, pastoral feeling in the district, McNichols is currently comprised of islands of major institutions that feel disjointed from one another, which inhibits efforts to capitalize on this concentration of employment, pool money for improvements, or market the district and its services. The key to success for this district rests in the ability to tackle the nuts and bolts of revitalizing a commercial corridor to attract businesses, manage parking, and improve the physical character of McNichols Road (including improved lighting, sidewalks, landscaping, signage, and public art). The major institutions will need to develop a comprehensive strategy beyond the boundaries of any one campus to create a much-needed center of gravity, which will benefit them all by providing attractive options for faculty, staff, and students to live and play. Marygrove College and University of Detroit Mercy are positioned to lead this district forward, as Wayne State University is a leader in the revitalization of Midtown.

SHERWOOD FOREST

PALMER WOODS PALMER PARK DETROIT GOLF CLUB


McNICHOLS

7 MILE

NEIGHBORH
D OO

STABILIZATIO
N

WCCCD

IG H NE

CROSS-TOWN ROUTE McNICHOLS


IZATION BIL

NEIGHBORHOOD STA

B ORHOOD

OLD REDFORD ACADEMY

STABILIZATION

SINAI GRACE HOSPITAL

IZATION BIL

NORTHWEST ACTIVITIES CENTER

FENKELL

TIE R GRA 1 ROU T ND RIV E ER

SCHOOLCRAFT

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


0.25 0.5 1 MILE

Data Sources: 2010 NETS; SEMCOG; QWI for the 5,500. Image Sources: 12) Dwight Burdette, Wikimedia Commons; 13) HAA

BORHOOD STABILIZATIO IGH

PURITAN

OOD STABILIZATION RH

RENAISSANCE HIGH SCHOOL

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY

MARYGROVE COLLEGE

PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ECONOMIC ANCHORS NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CURRENT EMPLOYEES Refer to adjacent map 1,900 5,500

DISTRICT DETAILS. The McNichols employment district extends from Greenfield road to Woodward, (east and
west), and from Puritan to 8 Mile, (north and south). Local assets include two turn-of-the-century post-secondary institutions that were historically the schools of choice for much of Detroits homegrown talent; a 36-hole private golf course, designed by Scottish golf-pro Donald Ross with a clubhouse designed by famed architect Albert Kahn; a 18-hole public golf course; the Michigan State Fairgrounds, a sprawling 160-acre site that is home to the oldest state fair in the United States. The district also boasts the most expansive concentration of high-quality housing stock in the city and a rich network of faith-based organizations who work with community groups to address neighborhood challenges and opportunities. The Eds and Meds clusters contribute just under 65% of the economic activity as measured by employment. Sinai Grace, a Detroit Medical Center affiliate, recently began a $77M renovation project. Additional large-scale activity can be seen in the Districts unveiling of the 36-acre Gateway Marketplace retail development. Local retail and personal services range from local restaurant gems like La Dolce Vita, home to Ronald Regans former personal Chef Matteo, to the Swanson Funeral Home, which has handled the going-home arrangements for everyone from Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to Rosa Parks. Local groups like University Commons are drafting strategic initiatives and building internal capacity to leverage dollars for economic development through programs like Re$tore Detroit.

JOB OPPORTUNITY
T DEX

EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE

2,500 additional employees

N/A

TYPES OF JOBS

Janitors and cleaners, security guards, secretaries, registered nurses, editors, post-secondary teachers, physicians and surgeons

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

12.

13.

DETROITS SECOND EDS AND MEDS CORRIDOR

WYOMING

NEIGHBORHOOD STA

GREENFIELD SCHAEFER HWY.

OUTER DR.

NEIGHBO

NE

LIVERNOIS
ER

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

VAN DYKE

TELEGRAPH

8 MILE

GRA

ND

UPPER CONNER CREEK

RIV

ER

GRA

TIO

ARD ODW WO

DISTRICT VITALS LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE


LYNDON I-96 LOWER CONNER CREEK

EDUCATION & MEDICAL AND CREATIVE


3,752 acres 683 acres 372 acres 6%

SIZE (acres)
FFER SON

VACANCY (acres) UNDERUTILIZED (acres) % VACANT AND PUBLICLY OWNED

74

E. JE

SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS


REINFORCING INDUSTRIAL JOBS
VISION. In addition to Detroits primary employment centers, a number of peripheral nodes of industrial activity
comprise a smaller, less intensive, but important set of secondary employment centers. As they contain many active and viable businesses that employ Detroiters, the vision is to stabilize and maintain these centers going forward. Each district offers potential development opportunities to further strengthen the citys auto, metals, TDL, and CDER clusters if led by private interest and investment. Proposed investments in infrastructure include targeted industrial buffers to protect nearby communities promoted for stabilization and growth and a new ringroad designed to connect employment districts across the city with infrastructure assets in the Southwest.

75

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

WESTFIELD

LIVERNOIS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES
FORD

1,850 11,500

CURRENT EMPLOYEES

JOB OPPORTUNITY
MICH IGAN

SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS


INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIAL / CREATIVE PRIMARY DISTRICT LOCATIONS
FERSO

EMPLOYMENT CAPACITY IN EXISTING FIRMS CAPACITY FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT OF VACANT SITES > 1 ACRE TYPES OF JOBS

7,500 additional employees

DETAILS. These secondary employment centers are scattered across Detroit, primarily following highways and rail
8,200 additional jobs Machinists, assemblers and fabricators, inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, weighters, truck drivers corridors. Four of these centersI-96, Westfield, Lyndon, and Livernoisare located in northwest Detroit, while the remaining twoUpper and Lower Conner Creekextend to the north and south of the Coleman A. Young Airport, respectively, on the citys east side. Home to 1,850 businesses and a combined industrial employment of more than 11,500, these districts comprise a significant proportion of Detroits overall industrial activity. At the root of an expansive and vibrant industrial corridor that extends west out of Detroit into neighboring Livonia and beyond, the four northwestern Secondary Employment Centers all lie within a short distance of I-96 and active freight rails. They contain a mix of cluster activities, from TDL usesincluding an active intermodal yard that is currently being consolidated into the DIFT expansion in Southwest Detroitto metal fabrication and CDER. These corridors historically contained many larger, rail-adjacent industrial properties which have become fragmented in the intervening years due to continuous subdivision. Many of the remaining properties are currently underutilized and these employment centers suffer from a lack of critical mass of industrial diversity or anchor activity. However, three of Detroits largest multi-tenant industrial buildings are located here. In contrast, Upper and Lower Conner Creek are driven primarily by auto cluster anchors, including the large Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant in the south, and Chryslers Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Upper Conner Creek near Eight Mile. These infrastructural and anchor assets underpin the redevelopment and intensification potential of these secondary employment districts.

Source: DWPLTP Planning Team


FOR T
1 2 4 MILES

In addition to Detroits primary Employment Districts there are six secondary Employment Areas. These areas are home to a wide range of employment opportunities and currently contain 1,850 businesses and 11,500 jobs.

INDUSTRIAL I-96
Near Detroits western city limits, this area is anchored by the CP Oak Yard, soon to be consolidated into the DIFT to the south, the Gateway Industrial Center on I-96, Sherwood Food Distributors, and a number of TDL, metal fabrication, and engineering companies. The most significant redevelopment opportunity here lies to the south of the CP Oak Yard and I-96 on the large site of the former Farmer Jack Distribution Center.

W. JEF

INDUSTRIAL/CREATIVE WESTFIELD
South of the freeway and east of the I-96 Employment Area, Westfield is centered along a north-south freight rail corridor anchored by PVS Nolwood Chemicals, the Westfield Industrial Centers, the Joy Road Distribution Center, and a number of other construction, chemicals, metal fabrication, and TDL companies. There is a great deal of space available in the Westfield Industrial Centers themselves, as well as redevelopment opportunities to the north around the former Chrysler office complex at Plymouth and Freeland Streets.

LIVERNOIS
Centered along a freight rail spur south of I-96 and north of I-94, the Livernois Employment Area is anchored by three large industrial users: the DTE Warren Service Center, a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, and the giant ThyssenKrupp Steel Distribution Center that receives and processes rolled and billet steel from the Port of Detroit bound for regional Auto cluster firms. There are large and significant redevelopment and land assembly opportunities in the areas adjacent to ThyssenKrupp between Warren Ave and I-94.

UPPER CONNER CREEK


One of the smallest Secondary Employment Areas, Upper Conner Creek is nonetheless significant due to its industrial anchorsthe Chrysler Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, a DWSD Filter Station, and W Industriesas well as its location at the base of an extensive intra-city industrial corridor radiating north into Warren along 97, and a moderate redevelopment potential centered around a land assembly opportunity at East State Fair and Hoover Streets.

LOWER CONNER CREEK


Lower Conner Creek is a legacy industrial corridor anchored by the giant Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant on Conner Ave and the Mack Avenue Engine Plant. Lower Conner Creek retains tremendous development and redevelopment potential in the form of the stalled Riverside Industrial Park, which is currently partially assembled and developed, located between Jefferson and Freud Streets south of the assembly plant.

LYNDON
The Lyndon corridor is a unique and vibrant collection of smaller industrial companies from many different clusters that occupy the garages and shops of Lyndon Avenue from Livernois, west to Schaefer Highway. The few larger anchor businesses in the area include DDOTs Coolidge Terminal, DTE MichCon Gas Co.s Coolidge Station, and a Comcast Yard. However, there are dozens of smaller workshops and fabricators in every cluster from TDL to Food Processing, Construction, Metal Fabrication, Business to Business, to Chemicals and Automotive. A smattering of smaller redevelopment opportunities exist here that would strengthen the corridor. The eastern portion of the corridor is anchored by Focus:Hope, a multifaceted career training community advocate and industrial innovation center.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

PRECEDENT

LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT (LADID)


LADID is a 44-block industrial business improvement district administered by the Central City East Association. The district provides public safety, maintenance and trash services, and abandoned property removal.

I can easily remember the busy restaurants and shops along Grand Riverupdated versions of those places are really important to creative and entrepreneurial work need to be located all over the city, but especially in the targeted areas.

David, DWP Website, 8/2012

76

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

PILOT PROJECT

ACTION PLANS FOR PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS


Utilizing the data collected through the Detroit Works process, detailed action plans should be created for each employment district. These plans will identify relevant land assemblies, infrastructure investments, and other public improvements may be needed.

B.1

ALIGN PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENTS IN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS

B.2

DEVELOP DETAILED ACTION PLANS FOR PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS

B.3

ENCOURAGE INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS (IBIDS)

B.4

BECOME A NATIONAL LEADER IN GREEN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS

15.

PILOT PROJECT

INDUSTRIAL BUFFERS
Industrial Buffers are forested areas that repurpose vacant land around industry to clean air, reduce sound, block light/glare, and provide a visual barrier for adjacent residential neighborhoods. Buffers also limit land use conflicts and create a more attractive, healthy business environment.

16.

Employment districts provide targets for private, public, and philanthropic investments, including local and national philanthropy, and city, state, and federal government investments. By concentrating investments and economic activity, Detroit can create the economic density associated with more successful cities, and provide a framework for the effective and efficient allocation of public and philanthropic investments. For example, road funds can be strategically deployed to support employment districts; investments in and operation of public transportation can prioritize employment districts; and workforce and training facilities can be concentrated in neighborhoods and employment districts. One-stop centers in each of the primary employment districts could offer practical services to working parents, such as high-quality daycare and help with applying for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other support for lower-income working parents. Funding for similar centers across the country has come from some combination of employment consortia and public and philanthropic funds.9 Policy makers should focus on investing in infrastructure that guides public, private, and philanthropic investments to employment districts, tracks cumulative investments, and identifies and addresses any operational issues that arise. These district boundaries need to be formally adopted by relevant organizations and staffed with the appropriate internal capacity. The coordination of city and state investments is paramount. A formal mechanism for this coordination should be considered.

An important step is to develop detailed action plans and a prioritized list of actions and investments for specific land assembly opportunities, infrastructure investments, public realm improvements, and facilities to provide assistance with pre- and postemployment support for workers to address issues like transportation and childcare. Drawing on the data collected for the development of the Strategic Framework, as well as the work of entities working on the ground in these districts, the planning must rely on an active dialogue with existing businesses and adjacent communities to set priorities for actions and investments that will grow the base of economic activity in each district as well as opportunities for Detroit workers. The plans must strive to brand core employment districts with a clear identity that can be reinforced and marketed to prospective employers. For areas lacking a clear identity or requiring a change in direction to best leverage assets and business climate, the plans must detail necessary steps to reposition such districts.

Cities across the country utilize Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) to supplement city services and ensure an attractive and safe business environment through a nominal yearly tax. Detroits industrial districts would greatly benefit from a similar approach. Led by local business representatives, an IBID would focus its activities on the needs of each specific district. Likely IBID activities would include improving safety, reducing blight, maintenance, coordinated marketing initiatives and offering shared services unique to local businesses, such as job training. An IBID would help to build business leadership across the city, and create a more secure environment in which to invest. BID legislation is in place; however, the process of organizing local businesses to create a BID is often a difficult challenge to overcome. A pilot IBID is needed to help demonstrate the benefits of this approach to businesses across the city. The pilot IBID should target an employment district with strong existing leadership willing to work with the public sector to enable the organization and establish its mission and activities.

A series of landscape initiatives can improve and integrate employment districts into the fabric of the city, boosting economic growth and improving neighborhoods. Currently, industrial areas and major transportation infrastructure (interstates and rail corridors) directly abut residential neighborhoods in many areas of the city. As a result, pollution, noise, and light/glare from industry and infrastructure threaten resident health and comfort. In particular, emissions from these land uses degrade air quality and contribute to a number of health problems for nearby residents, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and other diseases. Industrial buffers, carbon forests, and setback requirements are proposed solutions aimed at reducing the impact of these uses on residential neighborhoods by cleaning air, reducing sound, blocking light/glare and providing a visual barrier. Specific strategies for these approaches are discussed in the City Systems, Land Use, and Land and Building Assets Elements of this Strategy.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS


Relate economic development and land use: target different industries and businesses in different areas of the city Plan for and develop retail in certain areas along commercial corridors Using existing buildings and infrastructure (convenience stores, etc.) to sell fresh/ healthy food Update zoning codes to support small businesses (dont over-zone for commercial, ensure residential zoning densities match/support nearby commercial or mixed use)

Text Sources: 9) Karin Martinson and Pamela Holcomb, Innovative Employment Approaches and Programs for LowIncome Families, The Urban Institute, Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population: February 2007. Image Sources: 14) Eric Richardson; 15) HAA; 16) Bing Maps

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

14.

A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY FOR GROWTH: STRATEGIES

77

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

ENCOURAGE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MINORITY BUSINESS OWNERSHIP C EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE NEW BUSINESSES
C.1
PROMOTE SHORTTERM APPROACHES TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND SUCCESS OF MBES IN THE CITY

79

C.2

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-COST, SHARED SPACES FOR CLUSTERS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Successfully promoting minority business enterprises (MBEs) requires short- and long-term strategies. Short-term strategies should promote growth in sectors of the economy that serve local markets, have low capital requirements, or are known to have a strong MBE presence. These characteristics are prevalent in the citys Local B2B cluster, which should be an early target for MBE growth. In addition to increasing opportunities for MBEs, business and economic development organizations should create a specific toolbox to help MBEs to address financing and business development challenges. Over the longer term, strategies must attempt to address the larger social and economic factors that curtail MBE creation and growth, including lower average personal wealth, less experience with family businesses, lower average education levels, and challenges with access to capital.

Detroit should develop new models of shared space for entrepreneurs and small businesses in clusters with high levels of entrepreneurship and for which there are currently few models that include local business services and construction. Like some of the shared and incubator models that exist, these spaces would provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with low-cost office space with shared services and access to relevant expertise, including cost estimation, contract negotiation, accounts receivable, and business development planning. Unlike most shared and incubator spaces, however, this concept would also provide areas for businesses to store equipment, tools, products, and so forth.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS


SUPPORT SMALL, NEW, AND RESIDENT-OWNED BUSINESSES Provide more resources for existing and small businesses via collaboration with and among universities, funding e.g. grants and competitive tax breaks at City, State, and Federal levels, and resources for specific types of businesses, e.g. Black-owned and home-based businesses Create a physical environment that makes it easy to operate a business (safe, clean, properly zoned, accessible)

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 3 4 Promote short-term approaches to increase the number and success of MBEs and DBEs in the City. Support the development of low-cost, shared spaces for clusters with high levels of self employment. Provide young Detroiters with exposure to and experience in Digital / Creative and other new economy clusters. Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase and strengthen the Citys MBEs.

PRECEDENT
1 Minority Business Enterprise-Focused Funding

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

C.3

PROVIDE YOUNG DETROITERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN DIGITAL/ CREATIVE CLUSTERS AND THE NEW INNOVATION ECONOMY

C.4

DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN THE CITYS MBES

EXAMPLES OF DETROIT MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES BY ECONOMIC PILLAR


CAFE CON LECHE BOB'S CLASSIC KICKS NORAH'S VINTAGE LOFT G.R. N'NAMDI GALLERY

LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

80

Business ownership tends to follow generational patterns: People with relatives who were entrepreneurs are more likely to own businesses and often have more tools to grow those businesses. Moreover, those who start businesses tend to concentrate in areas of the economy with which they are most familiar. In some cases, this can make it difficult for MBEs to break into some of the highest-growth, most profitable segments of the economy. To strengthen the number and performance of MBEs in the city, children and young adults without these advantages will need to be given a similar set of experiences and skills. A consortium of business leaders in digital and other sectors, Detroit schools, and the citys leading business incubators should work together to expose young Detroiters to employment and entrepreneurship in the citys high-growth Digital/Creative clusters. The traditional clusters, like automotive and food, are also important not only for job growth in the city and region but for innovation to address national challenges. For example, Southeast Michigan was a global center for automotive research and development even before the regions automakers recently agreed to double average vehicle fuel economy by 2025. Students in Detroits high schools should be contributing to these goals and preparing for careers in the leading innovative segments of the economy. The public schools already offer specializations in most of the citys major economic clusters, and some of the programs work with businesses in the city and region. By more closely linking cluster development with the innovation pipeline and education reform, Detroit can create a national model while preparing its students to succeed in the new economy.

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

To help interested Detroiters transition from informal to formal activity will likely require a menu of strategies. Some Detroiters have been excluded from formal sector activity by strict licensing requirements for a range of occupations, an issue that has received attention at the state level. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs recently proposed dropping licensing requirements associated with 18 occupations, although few seem to be in the occupations that have been identified by national groups as limiting options for lower-income workers.10 However, a bill to loosen requirements for barbers was recently introduced in the Michigan House.11 Detroit stakeholders could be important voices in policy discussions around occupational access for lower-income and populations. In addition to licensing, strategies to graduate informal workers into the formal sector and help the self-employed scale their businesses must address capital challenges and regulatory burdens. Increasing the availability of capital, especially micro-loans that small businesses often require, can create incentives for informal businesses to transition for formal activity and can provide the self-employed with needed capital to scale their activities.12 Similarly, changes in the regulatory environment that reduce costs of registering or maintaining businesses can also foster formalization of activity. Finally, additional strategies must be employed to help those with criminal records, poor credit history, or other factors that create real or perceived barriers to licenses, capital, and other factors that contribute to entrepreneurial success.13 Text Sources: 10) Turner, Mike, State Office of Regulatory Reinvention report: Deregulate 18 occupations, kill 9 boards, Detroit Free Press, April 16, 2012. Michigan Office of Regulatory Reinvention, Recommendations of the Office of Regulatory Reinvention Regarding Occupational Licensing, February 17, 2012; Carpenter, Dick M., II, Lisa Knepper, Angela C. Erickson and John K. Ross, License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing, Institute for Justice, May 2012. 11)2012 House Bill 5517: Repeal barber licensure mandate on http://www. michiganvotes.org/; 12) Klapper, Leora, Raphael Amit, Mauro F. Guilln, and Juan Manuel Quesada, Entrepreneurship and Firm Formation Across Countries, The World Bank, Development Research Group, Finance and Private Sector Team, Policy Research Working Paper 4313, August 2007; 13) Losby, Jan L., Marcia E. Kingslow, and John F. Else, The Informal Economy: Experiences of African Americans, ISED Solutions, September, 2003. Image Sources: 17) Flickr.com - Girl.in.the.D; 18) Bob's Classic KicksFacebook; 19) Norah's Vintage LoftFacebook; 20) www.grnnamdi.com; 21) Definitive Style Exclusives (DSE); 22) Jim Griffioen, www.sweet-juniper.com; 23) www.modeldmedia.com; 24) Spiral CollectiveFacebook; 25) http:// detroitfunk.com; 26) Diseos Ornamental Iron; 27) Future Net Group; 28) http://hothiphopdetroit. com; 29) www.theimgexperience.com; 30) www.realtimesmedia.com; 31) Velocity Cow; 32) Alter Ego Management

21.

22.

23.

24.

NEW CENTER STAMPING

DISEOS ORNAMENTAL IRON

FUTURE NET GROUP

OAKLAND STAMPING

Support small businesses with grants to get to the next level.

We should have Detroit designated a regional center for the purposes of investor visas and encourage entrepreneurs from all over the world to come to Detroit to start businesses.

Planning Cluster-based Meetings, 1/20113/2011

Richard, Planning Cluster-based Meetings, 1/2011 - 3/2011

INDUSTRIAL

25.

26.

27.

28.

IGNITION MEDIA GROUP DIGITAL / CREATIVE

REAL TIMES MEDIA LLC

VELOCITY COW

ALTER EGO MANAGEMENT

29.

30.

31.

32.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

Detroit must develop strategies to increase the participation of minority populations in all modes of entrepreneurship, including self-employment, business ownership, and communal models such as cooperatives. Getting there will require a comprehensive strategy that addresses the particular opportunities and challenges facing MBE growth in the city of Detroitsuch as the citys high rate of minority self-employment and its very low rate of graduation from self-employment to hiring employees. Where possible, a comprehensive strategy will need to address common challenges that face MBE development and growth as described above in Strategy C.1. Such a strategy should include a cluster-by-cluster assessment of opportunities and roadblocks to more and stronger MBEs in the city; assessment of the variety of models that promote local and minority ownership of economic assets; and an assessment of the capital needs and challenges facing the citys MBEs. Some of the countrys leading experts on MBEs are in Detroits universities; their expertise should be tapped.

17.

18.

19.

20.

81

DSE

HONEYBEE MARKET

GOOD GIRLS GO TO PARIS CRPES

SPIRAL COLLECTIVE

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

Help create a plan for building new viable self-sustaining communities of the future with an emphasis on changing the culture of our youth... by promoting the development of a community workforce that will help improve the quality of life for city residents within their neighborhood and communities. The goal is to build healthy, strong, vibrant, self-sustaining neighborhoods and communities in Detroit.

Ann, Planning Cluster Meeting, 2/5/2011


82 The single most important thing the City can do is better workforce training.

The strategies for building skills aim at increasing skills and opportunities for Detroiters by improving access to training institutions, aligning training with cluster strategies, increasing the number of local opportunities, and addressing current roadblocks to training and employment, especially transportation.

PREPARING THE WORKFORCE FOR A DIVERSE ECONOMY

IMPROVE SKILLS BUILDING AND EDUCATION REFORM


D.3

83

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

Entrepreneurs Working Session

Most of the innovative entrepreneurship programs I am aware of are already here in Detroit (even national / international ones).

D.1

HIRE DETROIT: STRENGTHEN LOCAL HIRING PRACTICES

D.2

LINK WORKFORCE INVESTMENTS TO TRANSPORTATION

COORDINATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BEST PRACTICES

Angie, Economic Growth Open House, 8/7/2012

Connect . . . transit lines with a much-expanded international airport hub. Build a big enough hub for Detroit and it will inevitably regain its massive export capacity. Watch the jobs pour in...

Shared prosperity will depend on the ability of Detroit residents to secure employment at the major institutions and corporations in the city, which will largely depend on a continued shift towards demand-driven models of workforce training. These must be accompanied by clear mechanisms for recruitment and hiring of Detroit residents, and even roundtable discussions with local employers regarding perceptions and misperceptions of Detroit workers and benefits of local hiring. The Midtown education and medical institutions are already at the national forefront of hire local efforts. Best practices include the following: targeting specific positions with the greatest potential for local resident recruitment and documenting education, training, and experience requirements; developing screening and referral partnerships in the community and setting targets for local applicants to be interviewed and hired; creating strategies to retain and retrain incumbent workers through flexible scheduling and on-line training modules; and formulating incentives for managers to hire locally. These efforts should be scaled first within Midtown to organizations not currently involved, and then expanded citywide.

Transportation accessibility remains a key issue for Detroiters looking for employment. Many of the citys households do not have access to private vehicles and public transportation options do not usually succeed in reliably linking Detroiters to employment centers. Over the longer term, these issues can be addressed through the development of employment districts and the alignment of new public transportation investments around them. In the shorter term, innovative public-private models must be explored. All workforce investments, especially for unemployed or lower-skilled workers, should be linked to a transportation solution. Innovative models to better link workers and jobs have been successful in other cities. For example, the Lake Cook Shuttle Bug Program in Chicago is a publicprivate partnership that serves 1,300 riders per day by shuttling them from commuter rail stations to employers.14 The program, which is currently funded by private employers and the metropolitan transportation authorities, began with vans that brought employees directly from public transportation stops to work sites then expanded to buses as demand grew; this scalability makes it a good model for Detroit. Developing public-private partnerships to better link workers to employers in Detroit will be made more feasible by the strengthening of employment districts that better concentrate jobs in the city.

Workforce conditions and challenges in Detroit and the surrounding region are unique among American cities: The scale of job loss over the last decade is unparalleled, job sprawl is more pronounced than in any other region, and the returns on education appear to be low, especially for male Detroiters. The civic and philanthropic communities recognize that these unique conditions require innovation and experimentation. There is also recognition that sharing information and experiences is critical, yet stories exist about the replication of unsuccessful models. Stakeholders in workforce development need to double down on efforts to coordinate investments, share findings from innovation, and replicate successful models. Development and dissemination of a shared fact sheet on the Detroit workforce, hiring trends, and successful models can be used to track progress and develop the pipeline of talent to meet employer needs.

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 Hire Detroit: Strengthen local hiring practices. Link workforce investments to transportation. Coordinate workforce development best practices. Revitalize incumbent workforce training. Expand public-private partnerships for workforce development. Commission a study to improve graduation rates and poor labor market outcomes of Detroiters.

John, Facebook Comment

PRECEDENT
1 Focus: HOPE: Detroit, MI

Text Sources: 14) Barbara Ladner, Blending Public/Private Funding Sources for Employment Transportation. Accessed at http://joblinksencore.ctaa.org/presentations/panel_3. June 2008.

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

I believe that you can make a greater impact with job training and educating people of all walks of life.

Sonja, DWP Website, 8/2012

84

85

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

D.4

REVITALIZE INCUMBENT WORKFORCE TRAINING

D.5

EXPAND INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

D.6

COMMISSION STUDY TO IDENTIFY LEVERS TO IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES AND POOR LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES OF DETROITERS

Education is an economic tool. It is good business.

Nonprofit and Community Development Roundtable

The greatest opportunity for changing the quality of life for Detroiters is to improve employment options, increase wages, and reduce commuting time for those who already hold jobs. Over 60% of Detroiters who hold jobs commute to the suburbs; of these, 40% make less than $1,250 per month or less than $15,000 per year. In other words, 25% of Detroits working population faces long commutes for low wages. The majority of this group of Detroiters has at least a high school degree, and a significant segment has at least some college. By virtue of their employment status, many of these Detroiters already possess the so-called soft skills needed to find and secure employment. For these workers, training to advance in their current jobs or secure better-paid employment is critical. Unfortunately, federal funds for incumbent workforce training have evaporated. Philanthropic funding can be aligned with cluster-based growth strategies to better leverage the existing pool of Detroit labor and talent. These funds are the key to the forgotten middle in Detroits workforce.

Innovative partnerships have the potential to address challenging workforce issues. For example, the public-private partnership Michigan Shifting Code was launched in January 2012 by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in order to address critical labor shortages in the areas of computer programming and information technology (IT)-related occupations. Designed as demand-driven training modules, each Shifting Code program responds to specific market needs by relying heavily on local IT employers in partnership with local community colleges. Public-philanthropic partnerships have also shown promise. The statewide Earn and Learn program works to place the chronically unemployed, including the formerly incarcerated, into long-term employment. The local partner, Southwest Solutions, aims to help over 1,000 metropolitan residents by the end of 2013. The citys strong set of faith-based organizations (FBOs), which already contribute to community and economic development, can also be important partners in workforce development programs, especially for harder-to-serve populations such as the formerly incarcerated.

The strong correlation between educational attainment and future employment prospects highlights the need to better understand how to increase high school graduation rates, improve the quality of GED preparation, and address poor labor market outcomes for those with two-year degrees. Studies of GED recipients in recent years demonstrate that while they fare better in terms of college acceptance than those who drop out of high school, only 31 percent of them enroll, mostly in two-year colleges, and 77% percent of them last no longer than one semester. GED recipients who do not enroll in college tend to earn salaries on par with high school dropouts of similar ability.15 The study should also examine trends in high school graduation rates and in particular, the recent dramatic decrease in high school graduation rates of young black men in Detroit. Finally, the study should examine the relatively poor economic outcomes of Detroiters with two-year college degrees who, as a group, suffer from 16 percent unemployment and poverty rates of more than 20 percent, both well above the national average for Associates degree holders.

PRECEDENT

If you mention training on a lot of campuses theres a negative sentiment. But if you mention education theres a positive response. Are you training people to function in the work pool, or are you training people to be thinkers?

FOCUS: HOPE
Focus: HOPE operates two flagship programs: the Machinist Training Institute and the Information Technologies Center, which have jointly trained and certified thousands of machine and CNC operators, and IT professionals in specific areas like network administration and small office operations. Text Source: 15) Margaret Becker Patterson, Wei Song, and Jizhi Zhang. GED candidates and their postsecondary educational outcomes: A pilot study. Research Studies 2009-5, GED Testing Service, Washington, DC, December 2009. James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Nicholas S. Mader, The GED, NBER Working Paper No. 16064, June 2010 33. Image Source: 33) Focus: HOPE

Education Cluster Working Session, 5/2/2012

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

PRECEDENT

PILOT PROJECT

PRECEDENT

43E EXPEDITED PERMITTING


This Massachusetts program promotes expedited permitting of development projects on sites with dual designation as Priority Development Sites. The program requires permitting bodies to review and take final action within 180-210 days of receiving a permit application.

PRIORITY PERMITTING IN EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS


In cities and states across the country, priority permitting has been used as a catalyst in economic development. This approach would streamline the permitting process and create incentives to shift investment and development patterns towards these districts.

CLEVELAND INDUSTRIALCOMMERCIAL LAND BANK


This land bank allows the City of Cleveland to strategically assemble properties and create long term economic and community investments. The City aggressively pursues assessments, acquisition, demolition, and remediation of identified properties.

86

ENCOURAGING PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS


34. 35. 36. Land regulation strategies recognize the key role that private markets must play in unlocking the citys potentially vast real estate assets. Unlike in residential areas, almost all of the jobs-producing land in the city, including the vast amounts of vacant and under-utilized land, is held privately. With so few opportunities to date to assemble property directly from public agencies or land banks and limited resources to outright acquire private property, other strategies must be considered to affect change on stagnant, privately held commercial and industrial sites. Markets right now are locked because of speculation, the age and quality of the building stock, gaps between development costs and rents, and other financing challenges. Land regulations need to encourage the private market through a combination of strategic land assembly and consolidation where appropriate while also focusing on long-term management tools that provide healthy, safe, and attractive employment districts.

LAND REGULATIONS
E.3

87

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

E.1

CREATE AN INDUSTRIAL SIDE LOT PROGRAM

E.2

CREATE A PRIORITY PERMITTING PROCESS FOR EMPLOYMENT DISTRICTS

FOCUS ON LAND BANKING INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

The vast majority of industrial vacancies are very small (under 1 acre) parcels, for which there are few industrial development opportunities in Detroit today. The goal of this program would be to dramatically reduce the number of these parcels. Modeled on the residential side lot approach, this program would transfer property rights of small (under 1 acre) industrial lots to an adjacent owner with the proviso that the lots be combined into one larger parcel.

In cities and states across the country, priority permitting has been used to facilitate investments that will have significant economic development or community impacts. Detroit should adopt expedited permitting in employment districts. This approach would create incentives to shift investment and development patterns towards the employment districts and, by reducing construction time and risk, would increase overall investment in the districts and the city. Models for priority and expedited permitting, including pre-permitting, have been successfully utilized in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and at the state level in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.

INDUSTRIAL SIDE LOT PROGRAM


COMBINED SITE LARGE SITE SMALL SITE

The vast majority of vacant industrial sites are less than one acre in size and have few prospects for redevelopment. Similar to the residential side-lot program this program would transfer these small sites to the adjacent business.

To help industrial development, there should be pre assembled sites for development and obsolete/ blighted structures torn down.

Detroit must take the lead among cities in Americas manufacturing heartland that have established a land banking process dedicated to the acquisition, assembly, and disposition of property for industrial and commercial development. The Detroit Land Bank Authority has substantial statutory powers to flexibly acquire and convey property. To date, land bank activities have focused on the challenges associated with vacant and tax delinquent residential property. An arm of the Detroit Land Bank Authority focused on industrial-commercial land would build upon these activities and serve to address the challenges associated with redevelopment within designated employment districts. Such a program, designed with DEGC, would allow the City of Detroit to proactively assemble and transfer properties to attract businesses and create long-term economic growth.

For Profit Real Estate Developer and Broker Working Session, 1/27/2012

Image Sources: 34) http://mass.gov; 35) Marvin Shaouni; 36) www.city.cleveland.oh.us

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

Detroit is a good place to own a business because of the opportunity, openness, and the spirit of the people. You cant do elsewhere what you can do in Detroit.

PRECEDENT

VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA SUPPLIER PARK


Volkswagens new supplier park is key to powering the success of the Chattanooga assembly plant. Once completed, seven VW supplier companies will assemble parts in the park as well as ready them for use there. Five hundred new jobs will also be created.

POTENTIAL TO SUBLET UNUSED SPACE AND BOOST LOCAL EMPLOYMENT


UNDERUTILIZED FACILITY
COMBINED SITE LARGE SITE SMALL SITE

Entrepreneurs Working Session

NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN SAME CLUSTER

88

The challenge of underutilized land requires a long-term initiative designed to boost employment at existing firms. This example demonstrates a common condition: underutilized facilities that used to employ many more Detroiters. 37.

89

DETROIT FUTURE CITY | DECEMBER 2012

E.4

IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL SOURCES FOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

E.5

ARTICULATE A REVERSE CHANGEOF-USE POLICY

E.6

CREATE MASTER-PLANNED INDUSTRIAL HUBS

E.7

ADDRESS UNDERUTILIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDING SPACE AND LAND

E.8

ADDRESS WEAKNESSES IN THE LOCAL BROKERAGE SECTOR

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Create an industrial side lot program. Create a priority permitting process for employment districts. Focus on land banking industrial and commercial property. Identify alternative capital sources for real estate development. Articulate a reverse change-of-use policy. Create master-planned industrial hubs. Address underutilization of industrial building space and land. Address weaknesses in the local brokerage sector.

Detroit is in desperate need of capital and subsidies for commercial and industrial building construction that New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) provide. Nationally, 21 NMTC allocatees include Michigan in their service area but only one, Invest Detroit, is headquartered in the state of Michigan. An annual report and convening of NMTC allocatees would promote Detroit to non-Michigan organizations. In addition, the potential for philanthropic programrelated investments (PRIs) in a Detroit-centric real estate investment trust (REIT) and solicitation of non-Michigan REITs should be explored.

In many U.S. cities, a steady erosion of valuable industrial land has been underway through piecemeal conversion of formerly industrial parcels to commercial or residential uses. Detroit, however, is in the unique position of being able to rezone land for jobs producing uses in and around the citys most valuable jobs-producing areas. A clearly articulated reverse change-of-use mechanism should be established to effectively return vacant, abandoned or foreclosed residential or commercial properties adjacent to key employment centers to productive use. As a minimum threshold of properties is reached, such a mechanism could be utilized by the city or land bank to extend adjacent productive land use and zoning designations to the target properties. Long term, the future land use map proposed in the Land Use element chapter identifies and recommends converting formerly commercial and residential lands to industrial zoning in areas that have the greatest potential to create new job and business growth.

The most innovative trend in industrial development in recent years has been the emergence of holistic, master-planned industrial hubs such as Supplier Parks, Inland Port developments, Distribution Parks, Workforce Development Hubs, and Eco-Industrial Centers. Such developments often concentrate synergistic industrial activities in close proximity, providing many benefits to tenant companies and clients (including large manufacturers), including closer supply-chain integration, shared services, and more effective innovation and product development. As such, these developments offer major competitive advantages over traditional, dispersed, industrial development models. The feasibility of specific applications within the City of Detroit should be explored in detail.

Many industrial buildings and sites are simply underutilized, with too few workers given the building and parcel size and location. These are generally the result of long-term employment loss that leaves companies with only a fraction of the companys peak-level workforce. Companies suffer because of the high space and utility costs they must absorb; growth in the city is stifled because these large sites are not available for more productive use. This program would evaluate potential strategies to create a market for subletting unused space to smaller companies and entrepreneurs and in extreme cases, to right size companies by moving them to smaller sites in the city.

As in many cities with dramatic employment loss, Detroit suffers gaps in local business services. In residential real estate, few brokers focus on Detroit, but several strong existing organizations with deep knowledge of the city could be tapped to expand into residential services. In commercial/industrial real estate, an entire regional infrastructure exists but there is too little incentive to show Detroit properties given the glut of space in the region. The Framework recommends working with key downtown organizations to develop programs to strengthen and coordinate information about residential real estate options and the development of an incentive pool to encourage commercial/ industrial brokers to show Detroit properties.

PRECEDENTS
1 2 3 43E Expedited Permitting: Massachusetts Cleveland Industrial-Commercial Land Bank: Cleveland, OH Volkswagen Chattanooga Supplier Park: Chattanooga, TN

EMPLOYMENT DENSITY
HISTORIC EMPLOYMENT DENSITY CURRENT EMPLOYMENT DENSITY

PILOT PROJECTS
1 2 Priority Permitting in Employment Districts Industrial Side Lot Program

5 EMPLOYEES PER ACRE

3 EMPLOYEES PER ACRE


Many industrial sites are underutilized, but could accommodate many more jobs. Data Sources: Interface Studio Image Source: 37) www.gray.com

THE ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENT : THE EQUITABLE CITY

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